


Bandaged With Lies

by Vocaloidevil



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2019-11-28 02:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18202190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vocaloidevil/pseuds/Vocaloidevil
Summary: Mikan Tsumiki is a new student at Hopes Peak academy. She, along with the rest of her class of 16, each go about their daily lives. Kokichi Ouma, on the other hand, is in a class parallel to hers. And it just so happens, that the two of them are roommates in the academy. As the two go through the school year, tension grows about a serial killer on the rise that has a very odd way of killing. In fact, news of this killer is even overtaking that of Genocider Syo. With tensions rising in the school, Mikan, Kokichi, and their classmates try to keep some sense of normalcy. But for how long can that last?Okay I know that this is a really weird ship but I rp'd it and it's cute af just trust me on this. Sorry if it's a super weird crack ship, but yeah! I hope that you enjoy!Just so you know, this is an import from my story on wattpad!





	1. And so it begins

Mikan's POV:

I sat on the bus, anxiously adjusting my new uniform. Quite frankly, my new title of "Ultimate Nurse" didn't sit quite right with me. Of course I was happy to have it! It was just... did someone like me really deserve such an amazing title? I took a deep breath and shook my head- it would be even worse to question those who gave it to me, right? Yeah, yeah definitely.

And so, with that I continued my anxious actions; tugging at my skirt, my bandages, and the strap of my bag. I continued to do so throughout the entire bus ride, keeping my head low. In what felt like no time at all, I was there: Hope's Peak. As I looked up at the school, my anxiety only worsened. The tall stature of the building was intimidating, to say the least. I felt my heart pound, as I took a few steps back, tempted to run. However, as I did so, I found myself bumping into somebody and tripping. With the pit in my chest only deepening, I let out a scream as the both of us crashed to the ground.

Kokichi's POV:

My first day at Hope's Peak, huh? Honestly, I'd never been interested in school that much before. The forced monotony of the entire concept made me annoyed to even think about. Besides, it's not like I'd need much more than D.I.C.E. and its members anyways. Well, at least that was my stance before I was scouted for Hope's Peak. Yeah, school was boring as hell, but being titled an ultimate? And the "Ultimate Supreme Leader", at that. I'd have to be dumb not to go... and that was a lie. My previous words were my members argument to get me to go, since I didn't want to leave them. They were really my only reason to be apprehensive... and with their support I didn't have an excuse not to go anymore. At least I heard that the classes were optional, so there's that.

I got off at my stop, and began walking to the academy. It was huge- like, you wouldn't even know it was a school and not a manner. This kind of confused me though- few students were supposed to actually be accepted into the talent course, so why did we have the seemingly bigger area? Whatever, not like it was my problem anyways. I continued walking, however I couldn't take my eyes off the school.

Big fucking mistake.

In my state of inattentiveness, I found myself crashing into somebody. Or did they crash into me? Either way it hurt like hell once the both of us fell to the ground. I felt a heavy pressure on my chest, making it difficult to breath. There was some kind of heavy object on me, so I pushed to get it off- it felt soft. Why was it soft? Opening my eyes, I saw that the girl I had bumped into was on top of me, seemingly unaware. "G-Get off-" I groaned, pushing once more. That seemed to get her attention, as she sprung up with an apologetic expression on her face.

Mikan's POV:

As I heard the boys voice, I yelped and immediately jumped up to get off of him. I bowed apologetically a few times, repeatedly saying "Sorry!" over and over, before placing my arms near my torso to not make things worse. The purple haired boy sat up, rubbing his head a bit. I found myself apologizing once more. It was at this point that he looked as though he got a type of realization- it was a split second, but I swear that I saw him contemplating the situation. This expression was quickly changed, however, as the boy raised an eyebrow and looked at his hand.

"You better be! Hmpf, that was pretty rude. Don't you know who I am?" he said, before beginning to stand up, placing his arms behind his head. His tone and expression implied that everything was okay, however the words that came out of his mouth said otherwise. Clasping my hands together and placing them near my chest, I carefully worded my response. "I-I'm sorry I- I d-don't". The boy once more raised an eyebrow, before smirking. "I'm Kokichi Oma, Ultimate Supreme Leader! Geeze, don't you know I could, like, have you killed for something like this?"

My heart skipped a beat- he, he was kidding right?! "K-K-K-Killed?!" I stuttered, in too much shock to properly process the world around me. Did I seriously mess up this badly on my first day?! Before I could respond, Kokichi once more looked at his hand and spoke. "Yeah, well, whatever. This is your first strike, so i'll let you live... this time, nishishi." I felt a rush of relief, that underlying fear still present. Not wanting to make things worse, I gave another quick bow, a "T-Thank you so much!", and quickly left to go into the school. Great job, Mikan. First day and you're already getting death threats.

Kokichi's POV:

I watched as the girl ran off, a blank expression on my face. Well that was an... interesting conversation. Lagged a bit with putting on my mask though... gunna have to be more aware of that in the future. Ah well, not like it matters anyways: I was quick enough. I followed after her, entering the school. As I walked, more and more people surrounded me. Some of these guys seriously looked ridiculous- while others looked straight out of a magazine. This really was a place of ultimates, huh?

And with that, every single one of us headed to the entrance ceremony.


	2. Skipping to the good stuff

Mikan's POV:

I was a complete wreck at the opening ceremony. Not only did I feel totally out of place, but I couldn't get the previous encounter out of my mind. A death threat on the first day? That was a new low, even for me. Everything that had happened so far... it was a huge blow to my already low self esteem. It just made me feel even more so that I didn't belong in a place like this.

With those thoughts in mind, I headed to my dorm in somewhat of a daze. My body almost felt light as I looked down at my feet, legs practically moving on their own. 202, 203, 204; I counted the number plates until I reached my room, 210. I took a deep breath, ready for some time alone.

Man I wish I knew why the world never allowed me peace of mind.

When I opened the door, who else did I see but the same purple haired boy from earlier. Kokichi was sitting on a bed, having seemingly already claimed his side of the room. I quickly apologized, and began leaving the room. Maybe I had the wrong number? However, before I could leave, his voice stopped me.

"Hey, where do ya think you're going?" he sniffled. "D-Do you really *sniff* hate me that much?!" and then, he started to... cry? "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah, you're so mean!" and just as soon as they had started, the boys tears stopped. Kokichi sniffed one more time, before once more looking at his hand "Kay, I feel a lot better now." he said frankly, as if the previous breakdown didn't even happen.

I, on the other hand, could barely comprehend what had just happened. I was about to open my mouth to speak, only to once more be interrupted by Kokichi. "So, you're my roommate, huh?" he said, placing his hands behind his head. The position of his body was relaxed enough, however I could almost feel his eyes looking at every inch of me.

It sent a chill down my spine.

However it seemed as though I could finally respond. "U-Um, I think so..? S-Sorry..." I said, cringing a bit. Part of me didn't want to believe that my luck was so bad that I'd be paired with the person that I had just made a complete fool of myself in front of, and yet here I was. At this point, there was almost no denying it. We were roommates. 

A laugh. "Nishishi, well this should be super duper not boring!" he said, keeping his relaxed pose. Could he get anymore confusing? Cocking my head, I spoke "I- W-What do you mean by that?" I ask. For a moment, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, as I imagined the worst.

Desperation finally got to me, as I prepared to make an offer. I hadn't wanted to say these words while I was here, but... they seemed necessary. However, before I could speak, I was once more interrupted by Kokichi.

Kokichi's POV:

Aug, great I gave her the wrong idea. Wait... her. Did I seriously not even know her name yet? I could have sworn that she had mentioned it at the gate, but at this point it was becoming clear that no such thing occurred. Damn it. Well, this was as good a reason as any to interrupt her. Still annoying. "Oh, nothing much. Just that you owe me for not killing you earlier, nishishi." delving deep into my mask, I looked at my hand "Sooooo, you can start paying me back by telling me your name, peasant."

The look of confusion on her face was gold. I watched her scramble to go through the formalities- A quick "Sorry!" for not saying it sooner, and a bow to accompany it. After all that, she finally gave me the information I'd asked for. "My n-name is Mikan Tsumiki, t-the... um, ultimate... nurse."

...Huh. What was up with the pauses in between saying her title? Most people here seemed to be excited, or nervous about their title, but she... almost seemed apprehensive?

Well whatever, I got what I wanted. "Ohhh, ultimate nurse, huh? You could be totally useful!" I said, continuing to study my new roommate. There was one thing I couldn't quite place about her though... 

"Hey, hey, what are those bandages for?" I asked, coming closer to get a better look. "Oh, is this that cosplay thing I heard about? Do you like, do it to get into character as a nurse!? Oh oh, or do you test out new methods of healing others on yourself? Haha, that's sooo messed up!" As I word vomited my theories while buzzing around her, Mikan only seemed to get more and more uncomfortable.

"P-Please stop, i-it's really personal!" Mikan pleaded, looking as if she was about to cry. I thought for a moment: I guess I'd gotten the information I wanted "Hmmm... okay!" I said, taking in the new information. Bandages linked to something personal... most likely they have a practical use then. There should be actual wounds under there if that's the case. May even play into the stutter. 

Well, that was pretty successful. Satisfied, I sat on my bed, swinging my legs back and fourth. "Soooo roomie, you gunna set up your side, or what?"

Mikan's POV:

I took a few seconds to process what had just happened, before snapping back to reality. "O-Oh, right" I said, hurriedly clasping my bag and rushing over to my side of the room. I kept my head low, doing my best to avoid looking at Kokichi. However, from the few glances I did get, it almost looked like he was a child waiting for his parent to finish doing something. He was just... really weird.

However I put those thoughts to the side, not wanting to bother him with my presence for longer than needed. I pulled a few things out of my bag, and placed them on the desk provided on my side- a few cotton balls, tweezers, tongue depressors, a thermometer, and a log book. If possible, I wanted to make sure to be able to do quick check ups in here in case the nurses office wasn't open.

"Woah! You're really serious about this nurse stuff, huh?" I heard Kokichi's childish voice call out behind me. I did my best to ignore him, but was forced to turn around when I heard his feet touch the ground. Before I could do anything about it, Kokichi was at my desk, inspecting the jar of cotton balls that I had just placed there. 

"A-AH, please, don't do that!" I pleaded, trying to stop him before they were no longer good. "T-Those are for wounds, so if they get t-touched then they won't be sterile anymore!" I explained, hoping that would deter the boy. He contemplated for a moment, before shrugging and putting the jar down.

"Fine." he said, placing his hands behind his head and walking back to his side of the room. "So what, you planning on having your office in here?" he asked, once more sitting down on his bed. Shaking my head, I explained. "N-No. It's just... the nurse's office isn't always open, s-so if there's a late night checkup t-that's needed then... um..." feeling awkward as I explained, I avoided eye contact, tugging at my bandages.

Kokichi's eyes brightened- "Woah! So if I get super duper sick in the morning, then you can like, do all the things needed to see what my symptoms are?" he said, seemingly intrigued by the idea. "Heh, guess i'm not going to be able to fake it with you around, huh?" he said, laughing.

"I-I um, guess so" I said, giving a nervous laugh to accompany Kokichi's. With that, I got back to work setting up my side of the room. I didn't bring too much with me, so all that was really left was to wait for my suitcase to come in. I placed some books and movies on a shelf, and then sat on my bed. With my work seemingly finished, I heaved a small sigh.

"Hey, roomie. Why don't we play something together?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! That should do it for this chapter of Bandaged With Lies. I hope that you enjoyed it! Also, for those who did Kokichi's free time events, i'm sure you already know what he's going to want to play pffft. So with that, here it is! Hope you have a nice day, and thank you for reading!


	3. Does Yu-Gi-Oh Count as a Death Game?

Kokichi's POV:

Mikan looked up at me, a confused expression appearing on her face. "A g-game?" she asked, her posture and body language further expressing her confusion. Straightening my back a bit, I got into the words that I was speaking with serious enthusiasm. "Yeah. A game of life and death!"

Man. The look on Mikan's face was seriously hilarious. "W-Wait, life and death?! I t-thought that you'd forgiven me for earlier!" she said, desperation clear in her voice. I got the feeling she was going to say or do something drastic, so I cut her off by furthering my explanation. "Yup. Winner gets all the glory, but the loser gets sent to the shadow realm. Are you ready? 'Cuz it's time to d-d-d-d-due-"

My epic speech was cut off by the sound of the intercom. I looked at the system with an annoyed expression, not appreciating being interrupted. However, I guess the words that followed were important enough to warrant it. "*yawn* Dear all new students: Your new classes shall be beginning soon. Please report to your assigned classrooms to get acquainted with said classes."

The man who spoke on the intercom sounded seriously beat. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he was found sleeping in the announcement room. Well, whatever. I turned to mikan, my annoyance still showing somewhat. "Hmpf, well I guess we'll have to do this later" I said, getting off my bed. Placing my arms behind my head, I began leaving the room "See ya later roomie!" and with that, I left the room and headed towards my classroom

Mikan's POV:

I felt like I just narrowly escaped dying- why did he always have to be so scary? I took a few minutes to collect my thoughts, before grabbing my bag and heading off towards a classroom... any, classroom. This place felt almost like a maze, and I had difficulty figuring out where I was even supposed to go.

Eventually, I found myself so lost that I decided to ask someone for directions. That is, after much much much, deliberation. Desperately looking around, I tried to find the least scary person to ask. My eyes landed on... nobody. Everybody was either cheerfully talking with others, or too scary to approach. I swallowed, my anxiety rising.

"Sorry, I know that trash like me shouldn't be bothering an ultimate, but would you happen to know where my classroom is?"

I jumped, not expecting somebody to come up to me- much less behind me without my knowing. Quickly spinning around, I found myself facing a tall boy with fluffy, unkempt white hair. Stumbling over my words, I did my best to answer his question. "U-Um... no. I d-d-don't" I said, tugging at my bandages. The boy got a troubled look on his face, touching his hand to his chin in thought. "Huh, so you're lost too? Well then, I can't let an ultimate struggle with such an inconvenience!" he said, getting a friendly smile on his face.

What was he- I watched anxiously as the boy walked over to one of the chatting groups, speaking to them with ease. A pit in my stomach grew as he pointed to me, their eyes following his finger. I froze, my heart pounding as my hands clenched onto the strap of my bag. After what felt like an eternity, they finally took their eyes off me and turned back to the boy. 

For a moment I thought all was well, and that I wouldn't have to worry about annoying them with my incompetence: however it appeared that wasn't the case. Before I knew it, they were all walking towards me: The white haired boy from before, a girl with short red hair and a camera, and a small girl with blond pigtails in a kimono.

"Hi, Komaeda over here told us that you two are lost. Nice to meet you! My name is Mahiru Koizumi, the ultimate photographer." said the girl with red hair. At the very least she had a rather friendly smile. That's more than I could say for the one in the kimono. "Hmpf, I can't believe that you don't even know how to get to class" she said, puffing her cheeks and turning, as she crossed her arms.

I must have had a sour look on my face, because Mahiru turned to the girl and scolded her- "Come on Hiyoko! We're all new here, so it's not like anybody would realistically know their way around!" Oh... so the girl in the kimono is Hiyoko. With this new information in mind, I glanced the girl up and down: they really did look like a kid... but they seemed so sour. Maybe it was just first day jitters? 

I was too enveloped in these thoughts, however, and appeared to have ignored Mahiru's words for a few moments- "Hello?" they said rather loudly, making me jump. "A-Ah! Sorry, I d-d-didn't mean to ignore you!" I stuttered, clutching onto my bags' strap tighter. Hiyoko gave me a highly aggravated look: However, rather than seeming annoyed, Mahiru smiled softly, waving a hand "Don't worry about it, I think we're all nervous heh. I was just asking what your name was!"

"Um, M-Mikan Tsumiki, ultimate nurse. F-From the bottom of my heart, I h-hope that we can be friends!" I said, scrunching my eyes as I bowed. When I stood up straight once again, there was a light hope in my heart. Mahiru seemed really kind- "Pffft, what makes you think we're going to be friends with a nasty skank like you?" laughed Hiyoko, shattering that dream.

Mahiru, on the other hand, had an exasperated look on her face- "Hiyoko! That was really rude! We don't even know her yet!" she said. However, I was barely able to process those words as all sorts of negative thoughts swam through my head. Flashes of previous encounters, of nights spent crying; of cruel laughter and faces with cruel smiles.

It was at this point that Komaeda interjected, holding his hands up as if to de-escalate the situation. "Sorry to interrupt, but this is getting off topic. Mikan and I just need some directions to the classroom." he said, looking nervous despite the smile on his face. Hiyoko begrudgingly backed off, a sour expression still on her face: Meanwhile Mahiru sighed, turning back to me "Sorry about that. Which class are you in?" she asks. "Um, c-class 1-A" I said apprehensively. Hiyoko's eyes bugged out, as she was about to speak: However Mahiru cut her off, her expression looking much more pleasant and even... excited?

"We're in the same class! You are too, right Komaeda?" she asked, turning to the boy. "Ah, yes I suppose so." he said, a slightly bashful smile on his face. Mahiru turned back towards me "Well then why don't we go together?" she asks, sending a preemptive look to Hiyoko to prevent her from protesting. Meanwhile, my eyebrows furrowed as I frantically looked between everyone.

Besides Hiyoko, everyone had an expectant look on their faces, only adding to my already high levels of anxiety. Despite the overwhelming sense that this was some kind of set up, I swallowed my fear and nodded "U-Um, okay"

And with that, we were off.

Kokichi's POV:

After walking away from my dorm, I decided to head to my classroom. If I did that, then I'd be able to get a head start at figuring out my classmates. I normally wouldn't be too interested in others, since almost everyone I met was predictable as hell: however, these were ultimates. People with personalities larger than life. It'd be a welcomed change from the boring normalcy of average people.

I laughed at the thought of how insane they would be. I've heard rumours about ultimates in the past- some of them actually end up causing explosions and other crazy stuff! Man, how awesome would it be if something like that happened? With those ideas in my head, I entered the classroom... which was nearly empty except for one or two people.

Whatever, I can work with this.

The people in question were a thin, pale looking boy in a pinstripe suit wearing a cap, and a- "Woah! Are you a robot?!" I asked, my eyes becoming brighter. Ignoring any kind of conversation they might have been having before I came in, I rushed to the two. They turned around, both looking rather startled- woops.

However, the one I was actually interested in wound up smiling- "Why yes I am- My name is K1-B0, but please, call me Kiibo!" he said, looking all too proud of himself. "I am the ultimate robot. What is yours?" he asked, still naively smiling.

"I'm Kokichi Oma, the ultimate supreme leader." I said, only getting more hyped by him stating his talent. He had no idea what he just got himself into. "Hey, is that stuff casing or like, does each box have its own important part, or something? If I take it off will I see wires?" I asked, keeping my questions going.

Man if only I could describe the look on his face- "I'm sorry?! Please, reconsider your preconceptions of robots!" he said, grabbing his collar(?). "Hmm? Waddya mean?" I ask, placing my arms behind my head. At this point I could feel the other boy in the room fading into the background, apparently not wanting to join in. Whatever, i'm more interested in Kiibo.. no, Kiiboi.

"I mean, that what you said is robophobic!" he said. Oh. So he's like that, is he? Well congrats Kiiboi, you just made my questioning turn into pestering. "Ohhhh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend! ...hey do robots have dicks?" I said, saying the first thing that came to mind. I had to resist the urge to laugh- both due to the question itself, and due to Kiiboi's reaction.

"Sorry but, isn't that going... a bit far?" said the other boy, finally piping up. Honestly I'd almost forgotten he was in the room. I turned around, my previous excitement draining from my face- "huh. Yeah, so what?" I asked, now fully facing him. 

"It's just that..." the boy took a deep breath, seemingly steeling his nerves. "You're being really rude. Please stop." Oh, a tough guy, huh? "Hmmm, nah nishishi. This is waaaay too much fun." An aggravated groan from behind me- "I have a recording function! If you make any more robophobic remarks, I will see you in court!"

Damn. Guess I better stop... for now. "Hmpf, you're no fun." I said, pouting as I crossed my arms. It was at this point that a bell sounded, and a teacher came in. Aug, guess I gotta go to my seat... or something. "Welp, looks like class is startin- see ya Kiiboi and emo kid!"

Giggling at my new nicknames, I sat down and class started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me making too many jokes in a fanfiction that's supposed to be serious? More likely than you think. Sorry if it's taking too long to get to the horror elements, but I really want the characters to get to know each other a bit and grow first. Still, I hope that you enjoyed! Can't wait to see you in the next chapter!


	4. ♫Getting to Know you♫

Mikan's POV:

After Komaeda, Mahiru, Hiyoko and I walked to class together, it was.... surprisingly pleasant. Due to that pleasantness, time passed by quicker, and before I knew it class for the day was over. Saying goodbye to those who bothered to say so to me, I did my best to navigate my way back to my dorm. My memory wasn't half bad, so I was able to use certain markers on the way back.

After only one wrong turn, I had made it to my dorm. Kokichi already being there didn't really surprise me this time. The boy was on his laptop, seemingly in a different world. I gave a small, anxious wave before turning my attention to my side of the room. It looked like my suitcase was here! Looking back to his side, it seemed as if Kokichi's had as well. In fact, it looked quite a bit bigger than mine... well, I suppose I didn't have much in mine to begin with.

It appeared that Kokichi had already unpacked his stuff, things like stuffed animals and video games now littering his side of the room. Deciding to follow suit, I began unpacking my suitcase, which consisted mainly of clothes and personal care items. It was over within a matter of minutes. And with that, I was at a loss as to what to do. I sat on my bed, hands folded in my lap as I tried to come up with something I could do that wouldn't bother... whatever Kokichi was doing on his laptop.

And it was in the middle of my thinking that I heard a dramatic closing of said laptop. Jumping a bit, I directed my attention to my roommate across from me. Kokichi stretched his back, before whining- "I'm boooored! C'mon, let's play a game!" he said. I froze, remembering the last time he wanted to play a "game". "B-But weren't you, um, working on something?" I asked, attempting to make an excuse.

"Hmm, yeah, but now I wanna play a game!" he said, turning to face me better. "It's pretty much just a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, buuut winner gets to ask the loser a question! Three turns, waddya say? Not like you're really in any position to decline nishishi."

That... didn't sound half bad. From what interactions I'd had with him before, I thought it would be another death game but... no. It's not. Even before I answered, Kokichi expectantly sat on the floor, ready to start. "I.. o-okay" I said, pushing myself off my bed and sitting on the floor with him, both of us now ready to play. "Ready?" he asked. I nod. "Then..."

"Rock"

"Paper"

"Scissors"

"Shoot!" Kokichi had scissors... and I had paper. "Nishishi, looks like I'm the one asking the question then! Sooooo you're a nurse, right? What's the most gruesome injury you've seen?" I froze. He's... kidding right? "I um... b-burns are always... p-pretty bad..." I say, tugging at my bandages. "B-But I'm not an o-official nurse yet, so I haven't really s-seen that much!"

"Awww... that was a way more boring answer than I was hoping for... ah well! Next round, nishishi!" And with that we went again... Kokichi getting rock and I scissors. "Nishishi! I win again!" he says, his laugh and smile having a somewhat mocking tone to it. "So, where did ya live. Like, before this dorm and stuff." Kokichi asks, some of the childish whimsey in his voice gone.

Oh... right, I had to answer. Tugging at my skirt a bit, I tried to make it sound as pleasant as possible. "U-Um... well it's s-small... not exactly the newest house... or um, i-in the nicest neighborhood but. W-Well it's home" I say, putting a somewhat positive spin on it. For a moment, Kokichi's face is blank, almost as if he's processing the words that I just said. This was only the second time i've seen him like this but... it felt different. Like he was actually taking things seriously.

However after a bit, he goes back to being happy, and flashes one of his childish smiles. "Eh, well to each their own! Alright, last round! Who will win?" he says. And so we were off- and the results were... Kokichi having scissors, and I paper. "Woooow three for three! You must be really unlucky!"

"Hmmmm, a question... a question..." he repeats to himself, seemingly in thought. After a few seconds of me anxiously waiting, he finally gets an "aha!" face, and shifts to look me straight in the eyes. "Right. Soooo, is there like actually a point to that one hammer thing doctors use?"

It was my turn to give him a blank stare, only interrupted by a few exasperated blinks. "I- y-y-yes?! Um, I know that it d-doesn't seem like it does much, b-but I promise it's actually a really important medical tool! Really!" I say, leaning forward a bit. Kokichi waits a few seconds, before- "Hmmmm okay! Whatever! Nishishi. But really, you do have the worst luck!"I lower my head, thinking back to the past few minutes "Y-Yeah... I guess I do..."

"Hey, Mikan, did you know there's a way to predict someones moves in rock paper scissors?"

I stare at Kokichi, dumbfounded. Did he- before I could even finish the thought, he laughs it off and says the following "Nishishi, just kidding! ... Or am I? I'm a liar, after all" he says, finishing by putting a finger to his lip as if he were shushing someone. "Welp, I'm bored again. I'm going to go play video games!" he says, before hopping back up to his bed an once more opening his laptop.

I think that was the first time I noticed him for the liar he was. It was like... Kokichi's entire existence was contradictory in some way or another. Needing some time to take this in, I decide to pick book off my shelf and read in bed for a bit.

Kokichi's POV:

I give one last glance to my roommate, before truly immersing myself in myself into my laptop. In all honesty, I was coordinating with my second in command. Even if I wasn't there physically, I didn't want our pranks to come to a stop and for my group to lose its repute.

"Your roommate feeling better?"

"Yeah, I think. She's fun to mess with but honestly she's way too anxious for her own good. You should have seen the face that she gave me when I suggested a game"

"Sounds like fun. Anyways, what kind of prank should we pull tonight?"

"Hmmmm.... do we have paint and water balloons?"

"Heh, great one boss. Any target in mind?"

"How about that one grumpy ass store clerk? Seriously who doesn't allow someone to put something back if they change their mind?"

"You got it! I'll go tell the others then."

"Perfect"

"Heh yeah"

"And boss?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Good luck. We've all got your back"

CrEpyCln is offline

I sigh, closing the tab with a smile. I almost let out a laugh right then and there thinking about how pissed that jackass was going to be when he finds his store windows covered in paint in the morning. I would love to be there with them for it but.... nope. I'm here.

Well not much I can do now. For once I actually make good on a lie, and open up a computer game. It was a simple puzzle game, but fun enough. Setting the difficulty to hard, I begin playing. The two of us stay like this for a few hours, but eventually Mikan gets up to go to dinner.

"Y-You aren't going?!" she asks, astounded.

"Hmmm nah! Too many evil plans nishishi" I say. Mikan gives me an apprehensive look, as if she was about to lecture me. Not in the mood for it, I cut the girl off. "Seriously, I'm not even that hungry! Besides, who else is going to run the world? I can't take a break for even a second!" I say.

Finally getting that I wasn't going to matter what she said, Mikan heaves a defeated sigh before leaving the room. With that I go back to doing stuff- by this time the prank had been pulled, and I was getting the details from my members. Getting a few laughs from it, I talk with them a bit longer.

More time passes, Mikan comes in, we each do our own thing. Though I could swear that every couple of minutes I felt her staring at me- geeze why can't she just mind her own business?

Eventually, around 9:30, Mikan falls asleep. I stay awake for another 3 hours, before finally sleeping myself. Heh, honestly? That was early for me.

I dream of D.I.C.E.


	5. Making Friends

Mikan's POV:

After turning in for the night, I found myself finally able to rest. Not that I didn't like them or anything, but... well it was draining to talk to my classmates. It felt like they were all so much more confident than me, and somehow that just made me even less confident.

Well, confidence or no, time was still going to march on and I had to wake up. Yawning a bit as I rub my eyes, I get out of bed. It seems as if Kokichi was still asleep... I hope he doesn't wind up sleeping in too late.

With that thought in mind, I open a few packages and get to work on my morning routine: brushing my teeth, a drink of water, brushing my hair. Once all of that is finished, I take out my uniform, but I don't immediately put it on. I stand there, staring at it for a few moments.

I really am here, aren't I? In hopes peak, labeled as an ultimate and not... something else. At least for now.

I wave that thought out of my mind and begin getting dressed in the bathroom. When I get out Kokichi is still asleep. My mild sense of concern turns into worry... should I wake him up? No no, I shouldn't, right? Because that would be bothering him, right? But, if he's late...

In the middle of my solitary debate, Kokichi began to stir. Noticing this, I tensed up before quickly exiting the room. Reminder to self: just let others be.

Kokichi's POV:

When I woke up, I heard the sound of a door closing- it seems like my roommate had already left, huh? Yawning a bit, I rub my eyes as I look at the clock. Oh. Seven minutes until breakfast starts. Seeing that, I sleepily got out of bed and began getting dressed.

By the time I finish actually getting ready, I'm already a minute late for breakfast. Well, it's not like I cared much anyways. Knowing that I'm already going to be late anyway, I take my time getting down to the cafeteria. Seems like newer classes have opted to sit at the same tables because I recognize everyone from my class sitting at the same one.

"How dare you keep us waiting, you degenerate male!" I heard the annoying bitch Tenko call out. Yesterday during class, the girl wouldn't stop calling every single boy a degenerate and pervert. Needless to say, she isn't gaining popularity fast... not like I was either.

"Yeah yeah, sorry not sorry. Buuuut, I'm more interested in the fact that even Kiiboys here! Can robots eat after all? Or is this just more of you pretending to be human!" I ask enthusiastically. Kiiboy, as expected, did not take kindly to this.

"Kokichi, once again I ask you to please refrain for saying robophobic remarks! I am just like all of you, rest assured!" he said, way too serious for his own good. I mean is robophobia even a thing? "Okay okay Kiiboy, I'll stop. I'm hungry anyway" I say, departing from the table to pick up some breakfast.

I walk around, looking at what kinds of breakfasts this school supplied. Of course, they had some stuff that the school supplied, but it also looked like someone else was offering his own stuff. It looked better than the food the school had, so I decided to go over there instead.

The boy in question actually looked pretty stupid though- he was the pudgy type and was wearing a stereotypical chefs uniform. However, the kicker was his dumbass hairstyle- seriously, a pompadour? That went out of style years ago.

Well even if his hair was out of style, the food he was serving wasn't- tons of breakfasts that looked more like deserts decorated the table, piquing my interest. "Hey, pompadour! Do you have any pancakes?" I ask excitedly, surveying the table.

"But of course! Any respectable chef has pancakes on the menu for breakfast. I also have crepes and other delicious breakfasts for your... pleasure~" he said, his voice creepily sultry with his last few words.

Oh god

He's a fucking creep

"Wooooooooooow okay then! I'm going to take pancakes then!" I say, wanting to end this conversation as fast as possible. "But of course! Here you go~" he said, handing me a plate of freshly cooked pancakes.

Saying my goodbyes, I take the plate back to my table. That was way too much just for some pancakes: but hey, they look better than anything the school is serving. I picked up my fork, placed some in my mouth and- well shit. This is like... the best stack of pancakes I've ever had. Taking that into mind, I guess he's the ultimate chef or something.

Keeping that in mind, I happily nom on my breakfast until the bell rings.

Mikan's POV:

"And then Ibuki ate the entire barrel of strawberries, just to prove him wrong!" said the colorful ultimate musician, Ibuki Mioda. She was an energetic girl who had a mainly black and white color scheme with hints of pink and blue. Now as to why she referred to herself in the first person, I don't know, but she actually tolerated me so I didn't really mind.

"And that's how Ibuki got her first manicure!" she said, puffing out her chest and nose in a proud way. "W-Wow... that was an um, r-really interesting story!" I say, meaning the words that I said but not really knowing how to convey them.

"Pfft, I beg to differ. Seriously how stupid can a story get?! An entire barrel of strawberries?! For a bet? That's like the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" said Hiyoko, snickering with a hand placed in front of her mouth.

"Hiyoko, what did I tell you about manners?" exclaimed an exasperated Mahiru, who then turned to Ibuki- "I think it was a great story." she said, a smile on her face. However, a huffing Hiyoko pointed to another girl at the table- this girl was Sonia Nevermind the ultimate princess, who was currently absorbed in her phone. "Oh come on! I'm not the only one who thinks the story is dumb."

At being pointed out, the pretty blond turned to face the rest of the group, lowering her phone a bit. "Ah, I'm sorry. I suppose this is rather rude of me- it's just that there is a very interesting article that I'm reading right now" she said with a soft smile.

"Huh? What of?" asked Ibuki, who had placed her hand above her eyes as if searching for something. "Why, about a serial killer! Genocider Syo! Apparently, there has been another killing recently, and this one is rather interesting to me!" said Sonia, a bright smile on her face.

Hiyoko, who was drinking water at the time, spit it out "Y-You're kidding me?! What are you, some kind of psycho?! Don't talk about serial killers like that! Jesus and I thought pig barf over there was a freak already!" she said, jabbing a thumb in my direction. I found myself cringing, but before Mahiru could scold Hiyoko like always-

"Hey, don't talk about Miss Sonia like that!" said the ultimate mechanic Kazuichi, pointing an accusing finger at Hiyoko. All this did was make her snicker though- "Oh, what? Is she your girlfriend?" she asked. "H-Huh? Well I mean-" the purple haired mechanic stumbled over his words, his anxiety not being helped by Sonia's attentive stares. "Pfffffft thought not. As if someone like a princess would go out with trash like yo-"

"Hey, stop it." said someone new- Chiaki Nanami, the ultimate gamer. Her hood was still up, but she had put down her gaming console to address the situation. "This is just becoming bullying at this point. We're classmates, we should get along." she says, her gaze stern but her cheeks slightly puffed.

"Hmpf, fine. If you're going to beg like that" she said, crossing her arms and puffing her own cheeks out. The argument finally over, I breathe a sigh of relief. Once I lift my head up, however, I find Ibuki has leaned across the table to whisper something to me- "Woah, that got like, super tense huh?" she said. I nod, and whisper back "Y-Yeah... it g-got really scary with all the yelling..." I say, fidgeting with my hands in my lap. "Well, Ibuki still thinks that we're off to a great start!" she says, a bright smile on her face.

I couldn't help but smile back, as we all finished up our breakfast together... as a class. As friends.


	6. Making Enemies

Kokichi's POV:

After breakfast and class finished, everyone found themselves hanging in the classroom. I sat on top of a desk, observing each of my classmates. A few pairs had caught my eye- first up was the emo kid and his preppy piano obsessed... well I guess already girlfriend. The two of them had formed a close bond rather quickly, already looking like a lovestruck couple.

Then there was the bitch Tenko and her pet, Himiko, whose name Tenko would not let us forget. I call Himiko her pet since the redhead didn't seem to reciprocate her enthusiasm. It was almost funny, in a way, the way Tenko was always constantly being rejected by Himiko, though she seemed to be oblivious to it.

The last pair, however, is what truly caught my eye. Kaito, the idiotic purple astronaut, was with Maki, the edgy brunette in red. It was Maki who had truly caught my eye- though to be honest, I had been keeping tabs on her since yesterday. The thing about liars is, they can always spot their own kind.

And Maki was lying through her teeth.

Yesterday, while we were all doing introductions, she had told us that her talent was "Ultimate child caregiver". The thing is, I wasn't buying that bs for a second. Of course, there was the obvious fact that she didn't look or act like a person who took care of children. But there was more to it than that. 

There was a certain coldness... roboticness, to it. Like the line had been rehearsed time and time again. That in itself was a tell. And so, I took it upon myself to keep an eye on her. If nobody else was going to be suspicious, then it was my job to be. Even so...

I push myself off the desk and walk over to someone, not wanting to blow my cover. The person in question was none other than Kirumi Tojo, the ultimate maid. She had a modern gothic vibe about her, and a mature and caring face- and more importantly, personality. 

"Hey, hey, Kirumi! Whacha doin?" I ask her excitedly, getting a bit closer so I could see her actions better. "Ah, Kokichi. Do you have a request?" she asks, gracefully turning around and folding her hands together. "Uh, yeah! I just asked you what you were doing, right?" I say, pouting a bit. 

Kirumi smiles a, tilting her head. "Is that all? Then if you must know; I am cleaning the desks." she said, holding up a rag that was in her hand. "It appears that the desks in this classroom have a few stains, so I took it upon myself to clean them off." 

"Woooooow! That's so considerate of you! Nishishi, with you around we won't even need the janitors" I say, placing my arms behind my head and laughing. That's when a stalky figure with long hair walked up to us- "My my, and what is happening here?" he asks, a smug expression visible despite the mask he was wearing.

I frowned at Korekiyo- partially because I was acting annoyed to keep up my mask, and partially because he is also someone that I'm wary of. "Hello, Korekiyo. I am just answering a few questions for Kokichi- " with a huff, I interrupted kirumi. "Yeah, so buzz off! Hmpf!"

They're staring at me.

Welp, that got their attention.

"Oh my, it appears that I am interrupting something. I shall leave the two of you be." says Korekiyo, causing Kirumi to turn to him once more. "No no, it is alright. If you have a request then please, make it." she says, ignoring me once again.

"Well then, if you aren't too busy, I happen to have some papers and files that are in desperate need of organizing- However such would interfere with some other... plans. Could I count on you to come to my room later and make things right?" he asks. "But of course- I shall take on this request." says Kirumi.

Seeing as they were completely ignoring me at this point, I left in a huff. Of course, it was for show, but I was legitimately upset. Something about that Korekiyo just felt... wrong. It seemed he was also someone lying through his teeth...

Even if he wasn't as bad as Maki, who I went back to keeping my eye on afterward.

Mikan's POV:

"Noooooooo Ibuki lost again!"

A frustrated Ibuki called out for the once more, having just barely lost a game for the fourth time in a row. Chiaki had set up her gaming consoles to help everyone get along better after breakfast but...

"Pffft, stop being such a sore loser! You obviously just suck at this game-" mocked Hiyoko, who had been specifically targeting Ibuki's avatar ever since they began playing. Even though it was really mean... I couldn't help but feel happy that everyone was having fun together!

"Okay, four rounds are up! Who else wants to try the games?" asks Chiaki, turning around with a sincere smile on her face and a controller in her hands. Ibuki, Mahiru, and Hiyoko, who was playing before, turned around as well. The room went silent for a bit, each person thinking things over before-

"I would like to try these video games!" says Sonia, raising her hand and walking forward. Another hand shot up, as an enthusiastic Kazuichi spoke- "Me too!". A few more moments of silence passed, before an aggravated Fuyuhiko spoke up. "Tch, whatever. You're probably just going to force me to join in later so I might as well get it out of the way." He says, his arms crossed.

"Great! That makes three. Now we only need one more..." says Chiaki, looking around the room. However, no matter how long she waited, nobody stepped up. Everyone looked around the room, an uncomfortable tension as nobody wanted to be the next to play at the moment. After a bit, Chiaki had had enough. "Hmmm... well we still need four people- and if nobody else wants to play then..." 

She's looking right at me.

Why is she looking right at me?!

"Mikan, right? Would you like to try?" she asks, smiling gently as she holds out her controller to me. I look at it for a few seconds, her words processing in my mind. However, once they did... 

"M-Me?! Really!? But I d-don't know if I'll even be any good or-" before I could say any more, Chiaki walked forward, held out the controller, and spoke. "It doesn't matter whether or not you're good. This is for fun- and if I'm right, and you haven't played before, then you have no way of knowing if you're bad. Just try." she says, once more giving me that gentle smile.

I looked around- everyone's eyes were on us- on me. I really wasn't... in any position to deny, was I? "T-Then... okay." I say, choking back my fears and taking the controller before me.

Chiaki once more smiled, before moving out of my way and ussuring me to the front. I take a few shaky steps forward, before sitting on one of the pillows that were set up. A few more seconds passed by before I realized I was holding the player 1 controller. I... I kept everyone waiting. Crap.

"S-Sorry!" I say, before hastily pressing the start button. And with that, the game started. It was a close call, but by some miracle, I actually wound up winning the first round! And the second... Sonia won the third, while Fuyuhiko finally wound up winning the fourth.

"Aaaaug! I can't believe I didn't win any of them!" cries a frustrated Kazuichi, running his hands through his hair. "Don't worry Kazuichi, I'm sure if we played more rounds you would have eventually won one!" says a smiling Sonia, being a little tone deaf in her attempts to cheer up the boy.

"Heh, at least I was able to beat you bastards one time." says a smirking Fuyuhiko, placing a hand in his pocket. "But damn, I didn't think nurse girl had it in her." he said, jabbing a thumb my way. "Aug, yeah. I have to admit you did pretty good." said Kazuichi, a defeated smile on his face.

"A-Ah, it must have b-been um, some kind of fluke-" I say, not even believing it myself. However, before I could protest more, a smiling Chiaki came up behind me. "Don't say that- you did a really good job. See, I told you. You never know until you try." 

Her signature smile encouraging me, I was dissuaded from protesting any more. It really was fun... And... it really felt like we were all friends.

It made me... happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! With this going on some of the plot can finally get started, even if it's still going to be a slow burn. Thank you for sticking with the story, and I hope you enjoy the next one as well!


	7. The End of the Beginning

Kokichi's POV:

I got bored pretty quick of keeping an eye on Maki. Half an hour of nothing happened, other than that idiot thinking he could actually get her to bring down her barriers. Whatever her deal was, she probably wasn't going to do anything suspicious soon... at least, if that purple haired idiot had anything to say about it.

So, that thought in mind, I figured it'd be fine if I went back to my dorm. I took my time walking there, wanting to take in my surroundings just so that I'm prepared for anything. Never know when one of my enemies might pop out of nowhere, ya know? But I eventually get to my dorm, opening my door to find...

Nothing.

Guess my roommate wasn't back yet. Odd, it didn't seem like she was the type to stay out late. Welp just means more time to talk with my group! Even if she... didn't exactly bug me last time I was doing so. Whatever, time to hang out with friends online!

CrEpyCln is online

"Yo boss!"

"Yo 2, any new information?"

"Nah, not really. The prank with the store clerk was hilarious but we haven't really come up with anything since- that's your job, after all"

"How are you doing on food and money?"

"Boss cmon, it's only been a few days"

"Just aaansweeerrrr"

"Fine fine"

"We're getting kinda low, but other than that we're good"

"Well just being good isn't good enough for my members! Let's plan a raid!"

"Alright, what do you suggest then?"

"Okay, here's the plan"

I spent the next couple of hours talking to my second in command, figuring out the details of the raid. We had a few places where we frequented- all of which had money to spare and were undeserving of it. I like to think of myself as Robin Hood, and my members like his merry men.

It went mostly uninterrupted until the door swung open at the two-hour mark. My head shooting up from my laptop screen, I looked at who opened the door. It was none other than my roommate, who had been missing for the past few hours. "Oh heeey! You're still alive! For a moment there I *sniff* thought something had happened." I say, crocodile tears in my eyes.

"A-Ah, sorry!" she cries, apparently taking my words seriously. "Hmpf, you better be! What were you doing anyway?" I ask, finally dropping my mask just a bit. "O-Oh... My class stayed late playing video games." she says softly, anxiously tugging at her bandages.

Huh, so that's what happened. Well if it was a class activity then I guess I can see why she'd be late, but... "Video games? In class? Whachu talkin' bout." I ask, pouting. Mikan tenses up a bit, seemingly caught off guard by the question. "O-Oh um- w-well you see, the ultimate gamer is in m-my class and um- and she thought it would be a good bonding exercise..."

"So you were playing games? And I wasn't *sniff* i-invited?" I say, just trying to get a rise out of her at this point. Seems like it worked, cuz she begins blubbering within seconds. "A-Ah sorry! I um- I-I'll be sure to ask if you can next t-time- so please don't be u-upset-"

Feeling like this is going to get out of hand, I stop her there. "Well whatever, they probably wouldn't have let me join anyways since you said it was a class activity." I say, nonchalantly looking at my hand. Mikan looks at me with a blank expression for a few moments, before letting out a small "O-Oh, right..." in realization.

This was starting to get boring.

"Welp, I'm going to go back to my plans for world domination! See ya roomie"I say, heading back to my bed and once more opening my laptop. From there on out I didn't really pay much attention to her, but I just assumed she was just doing her own thing.

Pretty soon I was just chatting with my members, the raid already planned and set up for later in the week.

Mikan's POV:

After Kokichi dismissed himself to his side of the room, I was once again in the predicament of yesterday- how to entertain myself without disturbing Kokichi. I suppose reading a book again would be the best option- however, I only brought so many. At this rate... I'm going to run out of reading material before the end of the year.

I sigh a bit as I take a book off of my shelf, wondering how I should take care of this situation. At the very least, I want it to be something I'm good at or really love.

And that's when it hit me.

Just as I was about to open my book, I wondered if the academy needed a nurse. If they truly considered me the ultimate nurse then... then it would be allowed, right? They would let me do nurse work after and possibly even during school, right?

No no what was I thinking?! Asking something like that would be totally presumptuous, right? Worst case scenario, they let me do it and somebody gets seriously hurt because I messed up! How could I even be thinking something like this!?

Still... I... haven't messed up in the past... and I'd be out of peoples way too! Not to mention, if I can do it well then I'd be making myself useful, right?

Gulping a bit as these thoughts swirled in my mind, I did my best to get myself back to reading. I can think on this later, right? If I stress myself out like this, it could be bad for my health.

Keeping the idea firmly in the front of my mind, Kokichi and I did our own thing as a similar routine as last night played out.

And just like that our second day at hopes peak academy ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Now for an explanation for the title- basically, this means that the establishing stuff is done with! Next chapter we're finally going to get some real plot, and kick start some relationships! Thank you for following me this far, and I hope that I don't disappoint you with the chapters to come!


	8. And now for: Timeskip

Mikan's POV:

Things went like that for a while- a month, actually. Kokichi and I would go to our classes, and then do our own thing afterward. However, at some point, I actually got up the courage to ask for the nursing position.

To my surprise, they said that they were going to ask me to do it in the first place- needless to say, I was shocked. Still, I was rather happy with the position. I got to be useful others quite often due to the dangerous lifestyles of some of my classmates, and I didn't bother anybody!

However, it wasn't all good. During this time, I had gotten a bit of a reputation for my um... odd way of tripping and um... certain offers. But nobody made fun of me for them! And... that was kind of the other problem...

It's a really self-centered and selfish way of thinking, I know, but I can't help but think that when that happens... nobody cares about my existence at all. Though um- Ibuki assured me that wasn't the case at all so- so I'm trying not to take it that way.

And speaking of Ibuki; she, Mahiru, Hiyoko (Surprisingly), and I had become rather close! It was mainly due to how outgoing Mahiru and Ibuki were, but still... I had friends! It still feels surreal when I think about it.

Ending on that rather happy note, I got a warm feeling in my chest as I reflected on the past few weeks. It honestly went better than I ever could have hoped for, and to even be thinking like this... it felt nice!

And that's how things were now. Ibuki and I had some plans later today to go eat shortcake together, and despite being worried about her eating habits, I was excited. Expecting Kokichi to be doing his usual thing, I go to open the door to my dorm. However, instead of being on his laptop like usual, Kokichi had been waiting for me at the door and...

Kokichi's POV:

The next month passed by without much incident- less and less people began coming to class: however, Maki stayed, so I was stuck there too. So much for the not needing to go to class thing. At least Kaito pretty much stalked her after I tended to leave, so I didn't have to do that myself- not like I would anyways. Too obvious for me.

And honestly, my life was just like that for the entire month that had gone by. I'd go to class, stay behind for a bit to keep an eye on Maki, and then go talk to my members online. Over and over again I'd repeat the routine- it was getting boring. Like, really boring.

I love my members and all, but it just isn't the same talking to them through the screen. And needless to say, I'm not really popular with my classmates due to my behavior. So uh, I found myself preetty lonely a lot of the time. I mean, I may be an evil supreme leader and all, but I'm still human.

After thinking about it, I figured it would be best if I found someone who would be interesting to hang out with. And, ya know, someone who wouldn't reject me in a heartbeat.

Shuichi seemed to be a good candidate, but he was always hanging out with that piano idiot. Gonta seemed like a good candidate too, buuuuut... yeah, nobodies letting me near him after the incident. Rantaro was interesting as well, but he was away on one of his expeditions

And honestly? Nobody else in the class would even give it a second thought before turning me down. So I guess that meant I had to choose someone outside of my class. Someone who wouldn't immediately turn me down...

Bingo. My roommate seems pretty interesting, not to mention a total pushover. If anybody was going to be willing to hang out with me, it'd be her.

My target in mind, I got to the place where I'd be most likely to find her- our dorm. I go on my laptop for a bit as usual, but when I hear her footsteps, I figured I'd go ahead and greet her. It seemed a bit early, but whatever. Who wouldn't wanna open a door to see my cute smiling face after all?

Placing my laptop down, I wait at the door and- "Heeeeeeya roomie!"

Mikan jumped back, apparently startled. I laugh my signature laugh and continue with what I was going to say. "Nishishi, jumpy as ever I see. Aaaanyways, feel lucky! For I, Kokichi Oma, have decided that you can hang out with me!" I say, a wide and energetic smile on my face.

Mikan's POV:

I... honestly didn't know what to say when I first heard Kokichi's words. The fact that someone wanted to hang out with me of all people was baffling enough... much less hearing that from someone like Kokichi.

The tension between us only rose as I took longer and longer to respond- and I had no idea what to do. Kokichi became impatient, and spoke once more, this time in a more impatient tone. "Wellllll?"

Being pressured to do so, I finally give a response "I-I- okay!...?" I say, not entirely sure of my answer but hoping it would appease him. After a few moments, he beams, walking towards me and grabbing my arm "Alright! Let's go right now then!" he says, a childish laugh following.

Realizing what was going on, I flinch, taking my arm out of his hand. "I- S-Sorry! It's just that... I k-kind of already have plans today-" I say, cringing a bit as I prepare for the worst. As I stood there waiting for a response, I slowly opened my eyes- and to my surprise, Kokichi didn't seem mad...

In fact, it didn't look like he had any emotion on his face at the moment- just one of pure thought. My throat tightened as the wait continued, before he... smiled a carefree smile. "Nishishi, why didn't you say so sooner? Tomorrow then-" I cringe, realizing I was going to have to tell him.

"I... k-kind of took off early today to hang out with Ibuki. I'm only r-really free on the weekends" I say, wringing my hands in anxiety as I waited for the angry yelling and insults that were sure to come.

But once more, it didn't come. Kokichi just continued to smile, though I could sense a bit of irritation with it- I was sure of it. "Well, I'm free on the weekends too so seems like it's a plan!" he says, his voice cheerful. However he quickly goes to pouting, and I wince wondering what I did wrong- "But you better not be lying! It's very rude to stand people up, and I hate liars!" He says, cheeks puffed out like a child.

In a bit of a panic, I quickly reassure Kokichi that I wasn't lying, before he immediately goes back to being happy and carefree. "Well then, see ya at the mall arcade on Saturday!"

...What did I just agree to? It all happened before I could really process it, and now I have plans on Saturday. The arcade at the mall? Where even was that!? ...Maybe Ibuki knew? I... suppose I was going to have to ask around.

I wound up going to the cafeteria early, thinking that may help me sort out my thoughts as I waited for Ibuki.

Kokichi's POV:

Welp, mission complete- even if it had... less than optimal results. Obviously, I would have preferred for Mikan to have gone with me that moment, but I guess this was better than nothing. Now I had to figure out what to do for the next few days. D.I.C.E. was going on a raid during that time, so my usual plan of talking with them was out the window.

I guess I haven't explored the outside of the campus that much... whatever, it's something to do. In the meantime, D.I.C.E. was probably still online, so I go to talk to them for a bit... though all the while I was thinking of what the hell I should do to pass the time.

Well this is going to suck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! This is the start of the main plot! And for those of you who think Kokichi's being a bit of a jackass- yeah, but he's going to redeem himself during this arc, so don't worry. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!


	9. As the days go by

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! So as a bit of forewarning for this chapter: It's really long. To explain, it's essentially an anthology of short stories of the days leading up to when Kokichi and Mikan hang out! While it's not 100% essential, the stories are pretty good in my opinion, and some of them will contain clues for future twists. Also: This will have the first namedrop of the serial killer! If you want to skip around, then:  
> Kokichi's first POV: A cute story with Gonta  
> Mikan's first POV: Her and Ibuki spend some time together!  
> Kokichi's second POV: Some tension in the class  
> Mikan's second POV: Maki comes in to get some wounds treated  
> Kokichi's third POV: Conclusion to his and Gonta's tale  
> Mikan's third POV: Sonia gets sick, so her and Mikan chat  
> Hope you enjoy!

Kokichi’s POV:

The next night, I went to the courtyard. It was the first time in a while that I didn’t have the members of D.I.C.E. to entertain me. If it turned out to be boring, I had a contingency plan of playing video games afterward- but for now, this was fairly unexplored territory for me.

Honestly, despite it being pretty, the courtyard was really boring looking. With the different array of ultimates here, I would have expected something a bit more grandiose- but I guess they had to keep the appearance of a “prim and proper school”, even if its students were anything but.

At some point during my exploring, I found that my legs were starting to get tired. The campus was huge, so it was taking a while to explore everything- even if most of it looked the same. Sitting down on a bench, I take a better look at where I was. It was mostly dark, except for a building made of glass that had its lights on. I recognized this as the research area for the ultimate entomologist, Gonta Gokuhara.

I found myself looking at it closely, absentmindedly taking in the black silhouettes of the bugs flying around. Something was “bugging” me though. The light was on, but I didn’t see the silhouette of that giant teddy bear Gonta. He didn’t seem like the type to waste power, so I had to wonder where he was.

That was answered quickly when I heard a voice behind me- “Oh, Kokichi! What you doing out here so late?” he asked in his usual grammatically incorrect way.

“I’m looking for fireflies!” I lied, putting on an air of excitement. Gonta’s mouth went agape in surprise, before smiling. “That great to hear Kokichi! But it still too early for fireflies to appear, even though they very pretty.” he says, his smile turning a bit bashful. “Darn, I was wondering why I wasn’t finding any.” I say, laughing it off.

“But it nice to know that Kokichi care about bugs!” says Gonta, seemingly trying to cheer me up. “Maybe we can discuss them?” he asks, getting into it. Now, everyone in class claims to hate lies, but this is one I know we all told: “Suuuuuure, I love bugs!” I say. Normally, Gonta is the least threatening being on earth, but if you dare say you don’t like bugs around him… well, let’s just say his power gets “over 9000!”

“Great! Then we can start now! Gonta was just bringing bugs some food.” he says, smiling and leading me to his bug sanctuary. I do my best to keep up my happy facade, despite the utter disgust I felt on the inside.

As we walked down the path towards the brightly lit building, Gonta seemed to become more pensive. And soon enough… “Gonta happy that Kokichi agree to come with Gonta. Gonta know that others don’t really want Gonta to spend time with Kokichi… but whenever Gonta look at Kokichi, he always seem so lonely…” he says, the thought seemingly having been on his mind for quite a while.

“Awww, are you worried about me Gonta?” I ask in a semi teasing manner. He takes a few moments, before answering “Gonta suppose so…”

We finally reach the insect house- it’s every inch as disgusting as I imagined it. Bugs crawled and flew all over the place. My smile almost falters as Gonta shows me around for what felt like hours, beaming the entire time. “Woooow that’s so interesting-” I say, choking back the urge to vomit at a wriggly worm.

“Yes, Gonta think so too! Gonta happy that Kokichi take interest in this! Whenever Gonta ask others, they always say they busy…” he says, a tinge of sadness to his smile. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this had been weighing him down for a while.

Okay, the bugs were gross, but I’d feel gross if I left Gonta feeling like this. “Nishishi, well since I love bugs so much, let’s do this again tomorrow!” I say, limiting it to one more day. I hated the bugs, but I did legitimately enjoy Gonta’s company… eeeven if I manipulated him into the, uh, incident.

And admittedly, this had its own manipulative part to it: I figured if I agreed to come back tomorrow, I would get out of here sooner. And low and behold- “Really? That make Gonta so happy! Then yes, let’s have more fun tomorrow!” He says, smiling wide.

“Great! Then I guess we’re done for tonight!” I say, figuring now was my chance. Gonta looked surprised, but thought it over “Yeah… Gonta suppose so if Kokichi say it is.” Bingo. I was free to go now. I mean sure I was going to have to come back tomorrow, but I could probably cut that down a bit too. With a dramatic turn and a “Welp, see ya!” I began walking out the door, but before I could…  
“Wait-” said Gonta. I turned around, giving him a questioning look. Gonta froze for a few moments, before straightening his back a bit. “Sorry, Gonta know it not very gentlemanly to shout- but, Gonta also know that it not very gentlemanly to not say goodbye to friend before they leave, or thank them for spending time with you. So… Thank you! And Goodbye” he says, a smile plastered on his face and giving a friendly wave with his hand.

I dunno how he did it, but the big lug somehow got a genuine smile out of me. Realizing this, I quickly make it my overdramatic and energized one instead- “Yup! See ya, Gonta!” I say, waving as I finally left that disgusting house of bugs.

You know, despite the fact that he was obsessed with bugs, Gonta really was nice to hang around.

Shame the others don’t want him to hang around me- even if I get why.

Mikan’s POV:

It was early in the morning, and Ibuki walked into my office, clutching her stomach while dramatically leaning on the doorframe- “Uhg, Mikan, Ibuki should have listened to you yesterday. Ibuki thinks she ate too much shortcake.” she says, looking pale in the face. Rushing up from my chair and to Ibuki, I help her lay down on the bed set up in the nurse's room.

Yesterday, while we were hanging out, Ibuki began scarfing down shortcake faster than I could have ever imagined- I knew that Hanamura’s cooking was amazing, but at the same time it made me worried about her health. But when I had tried to warn her, she just continued and said: “Ahhh I’m sure I’ll be fine”.

And now the worst had happened. I got down some antacids from the medicine cabinet, and measured some out for Ibuki to drink. “Um, I k-know that it doesn’t taste that good but… this should help with t-the stomach pain.” I say, timidly handing it to Ibuki.

She took it, drank it, and scrunched up her face in disgust- “Aug, you weren’t kidding! That tasted worse than a broken guitar string!” she says in disgust... I decide not to question it. The bad taste seemed to have made her a bit more aware but still... “S-Sorry! There isn’t much else that I can do about this kind of pain.” I say, wringing my hands. Ibuki shakes her head though, seemingly trying to be energetic despite still having pains.

“Nah, Ibuki gets it! Even if Ibuki’s stomach hurts really bad, she gets to have a really cute nurse take care of her, so all’s good!” she says, pumping an arm energetically in the air, before cringing and clutching at her stomach. “Ehehehe… guess I shouldn’t do that, huh?” she says, smiling sheepishly.

Still flustered by her nurse comment, I give an absent-minded nod to Ibuki’s question. “Um- y-you should probably rest a bit while we wait for the antacid to take effect.” I say, beginning to put away the medicine. Ibuki gave an energized “Kk!” in response, and I sat back down in the office chair by my desk. I was told by the school to log any students who came in and why, so I had some paperwork to fill out.

It didn’t take too long for Ibuki to get aggravatingly bored- about 30 seconds in fact. “Uuuuuuugh is this all you do in the nurse's office? How can you stand it?!” she asks, flopping down on the bed dramatically. I turn around, pen still in hand “S-Sorry- This paperwork is important though s-s-so- Ah, but I can d-do anything you want afterward so please don’t hate me-” I say, clasping my hands together.

Ibuki sat up and shook her head “Nah! Ibuki thinks it would be good to chat at least though. Seriously this silence is killing me-” she says, scrunching up her face is an irritated manner. Despite knowing her for a month, I was still expecting something worse, so I was kind of surprised at her request. But… well I didn’t mind it in the slightest- “Hmhmhm, okay! Then um… w-what should we talk about?” I ask, a bit more chipper.

Ibuki puts her hand to her chin in an exaggerated way of thinking- “Oh oh Ibuki’s got it! Why did you ask her about the mall yesterday?” She asks, cocking her head in a curious way. “When I asked, you just kinda shrugged it off.”

This was… definitely not something I expected- “O-Oh- Well um, you s-s-see… I um… kind of got invited to hang out w-with someone t-there…?” I say hesitantly, cringing at every word uttered. I didn’t want to tell her because I figured that she’d get upset if she knew I was hanging out with someone else, but I might have just made things worse by avoiding it.

Once again though, Ibuki subverts my expectations by giving me a smile rather than a disgusted or angry look. In fact, she almost looked excited. “Mikan, that’s great! Who, what, when, where, why? Wait I think I know a few of those… ah just tell me everything!” she says, sitting up in the bed but cringing due to stomach pain. “Aug… tell Ibuki before this excitement makes her stomach feel any worse!” She says, still somehow bouncing back. With a worried whimper, I nod. “Um, w-well it happened yesterday right before we hung out. He s-seemed like he really wanted to so-” I get cut off by Ibuki’s astonished gasp. “He? Does somebody have a crush on you? What’s he like, who is he?” she asks, excitedly sitting on the edge of the bed: so much so that I was afraid she might fall off.

I tense up, getting anxious from Ibuki’s spitfire questioning: however, I do my best to keep my composure and continue explaining “I’m s-s-sure it isn’t anything like that! It’s Kokichi. H-He’s my roommate and-” I get cut off again. “Kokichi?! Isn’t he like, that one dude who lies all the time?! Don’t you know what happened with Gonta?!” she asks, a shocked and somewhat horrified expression on her face.

As Ibuki brought that up, the thought came to my mind for the first time- what if he was planning something? At the time, I had completely forgotten what kind of reputation Kokichi had- and what I had observed for myself. The more I thought about it, the deeper the pit in my stomach grew. But at the same time…

“I’ve… a-already said I would do it though so… so there isn’t really m-much I can do.” I say, looking down at my lap dejectedly. “He would b-be really upset with me if I didn’t come, right?” I say, looking at Ibuki with a worried expression. “So what, you aren’t in the same class so it’s not like you even see him that often.” she says in a nonchalant manner. I furrow my brows even further, realizing I would have to explain it to her.

“T-The thing about that is…”

“Kokichi’s k-kind of my roommate.” I say softly, cringing in anticipation for her response.

“Oh okay.” she says, before furrowing her brows, and then gasping in realization “WAIT HE’S YOUR WHAT?!?!” she screams, clearly taken aback. I cringe, before saying it once again. “He’s… m-my roommate.” I say, even softer this time.

“Why didn’t Ibuki know this?! Why didn’t you say anything about this?! He hasn’t like, done any evil stuff to you, has he?!” she asks, her mind seemingly running a mile a minute. Realizing that she wasn’t getting the full situation at all, I attempt to explain it better. “N-No, he hasn’t! I mean, h-he wanted to do a death game on our first day b-but… it kind of sounded like this game I h-heard of named Yu-Gi-Oh? A-And other than that, he’s usually on his laptop when I g-get in so… we don’t even interact much.” I say, looking down at my lap thoughtfully as I finished.

Ibuki was silent for a few moments, seemingly taking in all of this new information. “Well… Ibuki is still suspicious but… if you think it’s going to be okay then she supposes she won’t worry… too much”

Breathing in a sigh of relief, I try changing the subject “A-Anyways, the antacid should be kicking in soon, so um… you shouldn’t be bored for too much longer” I say, fiddling with my hands in my lap. Her mood changing fast, Ibuki smiled her signature smile and shook her head “Nah, it’s fun hanging with you Mikan! Your vibe is more mellow than I’d normally go for, but I really dig it!” she says excitedly.

We talked for a few more minutes before Ibuki revealed that she was feeling better. Even though her protesting made it really difficult, I wound up sending her back to class. Throughout the rest of the day, I thought about the interaction on and off. Even though I smiled to myself at Ibuki’s antics, I couldn’t help but be even more anxious about hanging out with Kokichi. A lot of the stuff she was worried about truly had never crossed my mind, and my general anxiety just kept making me think up worst case scenarios.

Nevertheless, I didn’t let it affect my work, as I cared for the rest of the people who came in with all my might.

Kokichi’s POV:

It was after class, and it was about time for me to finish keeping an eye on Maki. Kaito had begun motioning towards the door, so I assumed that they were going to head somewhere else soon. In anticipation of this, I began to exit the room- didn’t want to seem like a stalker, after all. However, just as I was leaving, I hear a familiar voice:

“Wait, Kokichi! You ready to go look at bugs again today?” asks Gonta, seemingly in an excited mood. It’s not that I forgot about what I had said yesterday, or that I was even planning on standing him up- however, I didn’t think that he would bring it up so soon.

And in front of everybody else.

Gonta really wasn’t the type to keep secrets, and it seemed he was oblivious to what the others would say if they knew that we were hanging out. Needless to say, some nasty glares were shot my way.

The first one to speak up was Tsumugi, the blue-haired megane with an obsession with games and anime. “Um, Gonta, are you sure that you should be spending time with… him?” she asks, seemingly wary of the idea. Gonta turned her way, a confused and surprised expression on his face. “Huh? But Kokichi like bugs, so we just going to look at them” he says, oblivious as usual.

The next to speak up, much to my dismay, was Maki. “Don’t you remember what happened the last time he said that.” she said, giving me a death glare. The purple haired idiot came next “Yeah! He’s probably just trying to use you again!” says Kaito, teeth grit and eyebrows furrowed.

“But last night, Kokichi and I have fun time talking about bugs!” says Gonta, just making things worse. “Last night? What do you mean last night?” asks Kaito, both confused and angry. “Oh, um- Last night, Kokichi and Gonta have lots of fun in bug house!” he says, smiling. Kaito glares at me once more “The hell are you planning Kokichi” he asks, voice low and gravely. I scoff, glaring right back at Kaito “Nothing. Geeze why do you always gotta be so suspicious.” I ask, acting playful but letting some of my annoyance get through. “Why do I have to be suspicious?! Why do you have to act so suspicious?! Always messing around, manipulating others! Even Gonta! You’re the lowest of the low.” he says, hatred seeping through every word.

Guess it was time to reset my emotions once again. I wait a few moments, making sure that the words that were about to come out of my mouth sounded as sincere as possible. My mask ready, I spoke “Woooow that’s a low blow right there.” I say, looking at my hand with an apathetic face. “Can’t believe it came from an idiot like you.”

“Who the hell are you calling an idiot?!” Kaito shouts, raising a fist. “Hah, you really are dumb. You. I’m calling you an idiot, idiot.” I say, smirking at him. Kaito somehow got even angrier, and started pacing towards me. For a moment there I actually thought I might get punched, but someone came to my rescue.

“Hey, we shouldn’t be fighting like this!” Cried Kaede Akamatsu, A.K.A. piano idiot. Kaito stopped in his tracks and looked at her. Sighing, he scratches the back of his head “Right, sorry. I shouldn’t let myself get so riled up by him.”

I could practically feel the daggers that Maki was staring at me at that point. A few moments longer and I might have had to go to the nurse's office. “Don’t worry about it. But even if he can be… less than agreeable at times, Kokichi’s still our classmate” Kaede says, giving me a look of “sorry that happened, but don’t pull this stuff”

Shuichi chimed in next, being Kaito’s self-proclaimed “Sidekick”. “Yeah. You’ll just get into trouble if you start stuff like that anyways.” he says, having to lift his head up a bit to look Kaito in the eyes because of his cap. I never got why he sided with someone so ignorant and naive as Kaito- he seemed plenty smart and that idiot was just dragging him down.

Guess it was my turn to speak- “Wow, thanks guys! If it wasn’t for you I would have been punched just then. T-Thank you so muuch” I say, putting on crocodile tears. Kaito glares at me one last time, before sighing. That’s when Gonta spoke up for the first time in a while. “Sorry… it Gonta’s fault that friends fight” he says, a pensive look on his face. I scoff “Don’t apologize Gonta. It’s not your fault that purple haired idiot doesn’t know how to control himself” I say, meeting Kaito’s glare with one of my own.

He was about to open his mouth again, before Tsumugi cut him off “Um, why don’t you come over here Gonta” she says, smiling sympathetically at him. He gives an “Oh… okay” before heading over to Tsumugi. Scoffing a bit, I put on a childish smile and wave- “Welp, this is boring now. See ya!” I say, finally getting the hell out of that room.

Aug, that was awful. Why the hell did that idiot Kaito make everything seem worse than it actually is? And don’t even get me started on that shifty ass girlfriend of his. Still in a bit of a huff, I find myself walking around the courtyard once more. I just felt like I need some fresh air or something to calm myself down.

It wasn’t until I heard loud footsteps behind me that I stopped, turning around. Honestly, considering how much of a softie he was, I should have expected it to be Gonta from the start. The behemoth was running at full speed towards me though, so I couldn’t help but jump a bit and take a few steps back as a reflex.

A physically unphased Gonta stopped just short of me, a worried expression on his face. Getting over the shock and quickly putting my mask back on, I raise an eyebrow- “Hmm? What is it?” I ask, before gasping “Could this be a confession of love before I leave on a plane, never to be seen by you again?” I ask, putting some crocodile tears in my eyes as I pretend to be in one of those cheesy ass scenes from movies.

Gonta’s face contorts in confusion “H-Huh? No, um, that not it at all… unless… is Kokichi really going away forever?!” he asks, the idea seemingly distressing him. Wow. I didn’t think he’d actually be that gullible. Putting my mask back to normal, I laugh “Nah, that was a lie!” I say, putting my arms behind my head in a nonchalant manner. Gonta lets out a still slightly confused “O-Oh…” before calming down a bit.

“Sooooooo what are you actually here for?” I ask, figuring it was something I forgot, or Gonta saying the others told him that he can’t be around me anymore. Hell, this might have been his own declaration of hatred and distrust towards me! It’d be about time... However, what followed was nothing of the sort.

“Gonta… just wanted to know if Kokichi was okay…” he asks, looking down at the ground. I yet again raise an eyebrow, as I scan his face and body with every trick in the book to try and see if he was lying. I should have known that was a waste of time though, since Gonta really wasn’t the type to lie. Which left me with one question: “Why?” I ask, accidentally letting a bit too much of my confusion into my voice.

Gonta’s head perked up, though not by much since he was way taller than me. “H-Huh? It’s just that some… mean things were said. A-And even if Kokichi said some of those mean things… nobody really gave him a chance.” says Gonta, scratching the back of his head in an unsure manner. I should have expected a sappy reason like that.

“Awwww, you’re worried about me? Shouldn’t you be worried more about someone like Kaito? Yknow, someone who actually has feelings?” I say, letting the lies just fall out of my mouth and take control of the conversation. But Gonta, like normal, didn’t react the way I expected him to at all.

“That… another lie, isn’t it Kokichi?” he says cautiously. I furrow my brows somewhat, placing my arms back at my sides. I guess I underestimated how perceptive he is. “Nishishi, I have no clue what you’re talking about!” I say, laughing it off. Even if someone called me out on my B.S., I’m not going to give it up so easily.

Finally realizing it wasn’t going to get him anywhere, Gonta changed the subject. “Um… Even though Gonta can’t stay for much longer… would Kokichi still like to look at bugs together tomorrow?” he asks. “Gonta said that he would be back soon, and gentlemen always keep their word, but… Gonta thought it might make Kokichi feel better!” he said. Looking at his hands, I saw that hey were shaking a bit… he was really nervous about this, wasn’t he?

“Sure, since I love bugs so much” I say, putting a bright smile on my face. Gonta’s face lit up, as he smiled. “That great to hear! Um, Gonta gotta go back to others now, but will see Kokichi tomorrow!” he says, waving and running back towards the building.

Waving back a bit, I stand there dumbfounded at what just happened. I knew he was a softie, but I never expected Gonta to do something like that. I guess he did legitimately enjoy the time we spent together last night.

Somewhat looking forward to tomorrow now, I continue walking around the courtyard for a bit before heading back to my dorm and playing video games.

Mikan’s POV:

It was early in the morning: A new day… a day closer to when I was supposed to meet Kokichi at the mall. I was still rather nervous, but I had calmed down a bit since yesterday. Seeing Kokichi calmly on his laptop like normal reminded me that he hasn’t been that scary so far, so I had nothing to fear… probably.

About half an hour had gone by after my shift as a nurse started, and I hear the door to the office open. Turning around, I see a stoic girl with brown hair in twintails walk in. “Um, h-hello. What appears to be the proble-” “Kaito and Shuichi made me come here. Can you fix me up quickly or not.” she asks, not looking me in the eye even once.

Already feeling very intimidated, I found myself tripping over my words much more than normal “U-Um, yes I c-can. What um, w-what’s wrong-” I ask softly, my anxiety starting to take over my voice. The girl sighs, before turning around “I have a couple of scrapes and cuts. They’re just making a big deal out of it, but Kaito and Shuichi won’t shut up about how I should get it treated, so here I am.” she says, in a monotone, but somewhat annoyed voice.

Still nervous, I quickly spin around in my chair towards my desk to jot down the info I needed for the paperwork. “U-Um, sorry to ask b-but… your um, n-name?” I ask, cringing and hiding in my shoulders somewhat. I hear the girl sigh behind me “...Maki Harukawa.” she says, before sitting down on one of the beds. After writing everything down, I timidly get up from my seat and walk over to Maki.

Silence.

The two of us stared at each other in complete silence for what felt like forever, neither one of us making a move. I guess that maybe both of us were uncomfortable in this situation. However, when enough time had passed “Um… s-so… where are they?” I ask softly, hoping that I wasn’t pushing too many boundaries.

With another sigh, Maki begins to speak “Sorry. I’m not… used to this kind of thing.” she says, before pulling down her stockings just below the knee, and shirt just below the shoulder. Doing so revealed a rather nasty looking scrape on her knee, and multiple of what looked to be some kind of puncture wound on her shoulder. Any blood that had been there had already been coagulated, and it almost seemed like this happened during last night.

“W-Why did you wait so long?! T-This is… um, on m-moment-” I say frantically, going into autopilot and getting some saline, cotton balls, tweezers, and bandages. “Um, p-please stay as still as possible while I do this-” I say, before taking a cotton ball in the tweezers and putting some of the saline on it. Working as delicately as possible, I clean out the wounds on her shoulder first.

But surprisingly, there wasn’t much to clean. A bit of the blood and other… stuff, was taken onto the cotton ball, but that was it. It was almost as if “...D-Did you already clean it out?” I ask, looking up at Maki. Avoiding eye contact, she waits a few moments, before responding with a curt and quiet “yes.” Taking that as a sign to drop the subject, I furrow my brows and focus on doing the detailwork of the cleaning. While the outside of the wound was surprisingly clean, the inside looked like it was already housing a couple of different bacteria.

As I was doing that, Maki flinched for the first time in a while. Not expecting this, I flinch as well “S-Sorry! I… I’ll try to be gentler” I say, anxiety edging my voice. She shakes her head though “No, you’re fine. It just stings.” she says in that same monotone voice, looking to the side. Gulping back my anxiety, I nod and go back to cleaning out the wound. It didn’t take much longer for me to finish, and I set aside the cotton ball and tweezers.

Bandaging the shoulder, I take a sigh of relief. “T-There, that should do that” I say, the seemingly worse wound taken care of. I then look down to the scrape on her knee… it looked rather raw. Like she had fallen on not only a rough surface, but one that had splintered as well. “Um… I’ll g-get to work on that now-” I say meekly, cleaning up the supplies for the first wound and getting similar supplies more fit for the current one.

“Um… c-considering this looks more, um, raw, this may s-sting worse than the last one” I say, wincing a bit. Maki sighs “Whatever, let’s just get this over with”. Quickly nodding my head, I get to work in surveying the wound. It looked like my idea of this possibly coming from something that splintered was correct, as I saw tiny fragments of wood in there: though not nearly as much as I would have expected for the scale of the wound.

“I suppose she cleaned this one out too” I say to myself, quiet enough so that Maki hopefully wouldn’t hear. Starting off with the splinters, I take the few fragments that were left out, which caused the leg to start bleeding again. Noticing this, I go straight for the cotton pads and place some saline on them, gently dabbing the wound until there was no blood. Maki flinched a bit, but I kept my composure and continued.

Soon enough the scrape was bandaged too, to which I gave yet another sigh of relief. Wiping some sweat off my brow, I place the now used medical supplies to the side and look back up at Maki- who still looked as stoic as ever. Noting that I appeared to be done, she spoke once more. “Are we done here?” she asks. Anxiously wringing my hands, I do my best to respond “U-Um, with cleaning out the wounds, yes, b-but-” before I could finish, Maki stood up. “Good. Then I’m going back to class.” she says, beginning to walk towards the door.

Taking a few moments to process this, I frantically stand up and turn to face Maki, shouting out an uncharacteristically loud “W-Wait!”. Maki hears this, stops in her tracks, and turns towards me. “What is it.” she asks, the smallest twinge of annoying in her tone making me cringe even more than having to yell did.

“It’s just… um, t-there are a few more things t-that we have to… d-discuss before you can go” I say, finding myself placing my hands in front of myself in a defensive manner instinctively. Maki eyes me up and down for a few moments, before she sighs once more, something I noticed she did quite a lot. “Fine. What is it?” she asks, walking away from the door and closer to me.

Now feeling a bit more put on the spot, I gulp back some anxiety before speaking “Um, w-well if it isn’t t-too much to ask… how did this happen?” I ask, my voice wavering a bit more than I would have liked it to. “That’s none of your business. What happened happened, and that’s the end of that.” she says, eyes narrowing a bit as her voice lowered. I yelped, once more raising my hands in front of my face as I sank into my shoulders “S-S-Sorry!”I say, feeling tears come to my eyes.

Maki’s face goes blank, before she looks away. “...You shouldn’t say sorry so easily. There are a lot of people in this world who would take advantage of that.” she says, the words kind of sounding they came from a place of conviction. Not expecting those words in the slightest, I cautiously lower my arms a bit. Maki’s face looked kind of troubled… “S-Sorry for.. Being such a nuisance.” I say, fiddling with my hands.

Heaving yet another sigh, Maki turned back to me. “Nevermind. Is that it, can I go now?” she asks, seemingly at the limit of her patience. Cringing a bit, I shake my head “Um, j-just one more thing, I promise!” I say. She doesn’t look happy, but Maki looks at me expectantly. Taking this as my sign to go ahead, I gulp back some anxiety and begin to speak.

“Um, I know t-that you probably don’t want t-to hear this from someone like me but… n-next time please come right here! It looks like you d-didn’t properly clean out t-the wounds, and if y-you had waited much longer t-then you could have gotten a serious infection!” I say, folding my hands close to my chest to help me be steady as I say those words.

More silence from Maki. This time though, it seems… thoughtful. After what felt like an eternity, she looks at me, gives a curt “Okay”, and walks towards the exit. Once she had left the room, I let out the breath that I had been holding. Still a bit shaky, I head back to my desk and fill in the rest of the stuff needed for the paperwork.

I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen but… even the scariest person here didn’t seem to do… those kinds of things to me. Even if it was only a bit… maybe I can really believe that things like that won’t happen here.

Kokichi’s POV:

“And this is a net-winged insect! Lots of really pretty bugs look like this!” says Gonta, a wide smile on his face. I, on the other hand, was holding back a grimace. “Faaaaaacinating” I say. Gonta smiles a bit longer, before looking down in thought. “What we do now? That every other bug that in here” he says, though he really didn’t need to. I already knew all too well.

“Hmmm… As much as I love bugs, it’s feeling kinda stuffy in here!” I say “Why don’t we go walk outside for while?” I suggest. Gonta thinks about this for a few moments, before nodding, smiling, and turning to me. “Okay! If it what Kokichi want to do, then Gonta happy to do it too! Outside is very pretty right now anyways... “ he says, smiling to himself.

“Well then, let’s go!” I say, the smile on my face more genuine than normal since I was finally getting out of the disgusting bughouse. I know it’s his passion and all, but I have no clue why Gonta loves these things so much.

Both of us make our way outside, the cool night air hitting our faces. I found myself skipping a little, taking victory in finally getting out of that place. Even with that though, I only just barely kept up with Gonta’s ginormous footsteps. Guess that’s what happens when you have such a disparity in height.

Okay the skipping was getting dumb now.

Stopping that, I walk normally once again. And in doing so, I find myself looking at Gonta: who in turn, was looking up at the sky. As if on queue, he spoke softly. “The stars… really are quite pretty” he said in a whimsical tone.

Thinking about what he said, I find myself looking up at the night sky as well. The moon wasn’t especially big, but despite its size, it shone brightly. And the stars Gonta talked about were kinda beautiful too.  
“Eh, I guess they aren’t that bad” I say, a playful tone in my voice.

We walk like that in silence for a bit, just taking in how nice the night was. One thing that, in my opinion, was highly underrated. That silence didn’t last forever though, as Gonta apparently finished looking at the stars. “Um, Gonta has realized that Gonta hasn’t thanked Kokichi yet for spending time with Gonta tonight! Or… for being so kind to bugs. So, thank you, Kokichi!” he says, a genuine smile on his face.

Allowing a genuine smile to slip out just this once, I puff out my chest a bit “Yeah well, it’s nothing since I love bugs so much” I say, letting my smile turn just a bit smug. Gonta smiled back, seeming a bit happier than normal.

Honestly, I did legitimately like hanging out with Gonta. It was just the entire, uh, bug thing that kept me from doing it more often. I’d hang out with him after class, but… yeah considering what happens when they just hear about us hanging out together? Ain’t happening any time soon.

And that’s when it hit me.

“Hey, Gonta, you doing anything this Saturday?” I ask, turning to him and cocking my head. He turns to me, thinks for a moment, and shakes his head. “Um, other than taking care of bugs like usual, Gonta no have any plans that day. Why Kokichi ask?” he asks.

Bingo.

“Welllll I was planning to meet up with someone at the mall there tomorrow. They’re pretty chill so they won’t mind you tagging along. You can learn more about gentlemen and stuff, and probably make a new friend too!” I say, trying to hype him up for this as much as possible. And after a few seconds of waiting…

“You really want to invite Gonta to that kind of thing?” he asks. I nod, smiling, and he smiles right back. “Then sure! Gonta would love to meet up with Kokichi and his friend at mall!” he says, excitement now lacing his expression.

“Nishishi, that’s great to hear!” I say, a bright smile on my face as well. We continue walking a little while longer, before Gonta speaks up “So… what this friend like?” He asks, cocking his head as he looks at me.

I think for a few moments- the best way to describe Mikan without giving away who she is right away. Then again, would Gonta have even met her? Eh, might as well keep it vague for fun. “Weeelll. They’re a person. They have hair, and two eyes” I say playfully, smirking a bit as I look at Gonta’s face for his expression.

“Um… well they sound…” Gonta’s face contorted into confusion as he attempted to come up with a word, “Oh she’s also a girl” I say, letting a bit of a smug smirk onto my face. Gonta’s eyes widen in surprise, before he smiles in excitement “Ah, so friend is a lady! Gonta will be sure to act like true gentlemen for her” he says, smiling brightly.

I chuckle a bit, just thinking about how much a surprise Gonta’s in for when he sees how touchy Mikan is. Eh, maybe knowing someone like him will help her a bit, who knows. “Well then, I’m sure you two will get along just swell” I say playfully.

We walk around for a little bit more, before we both agree to go back to our respective dorms. I decide not to tell Mikan about Gonta joining us, just to see her reaction. Honestly it’s probably going to be hilarious- I guess I’m a bit more excited for Saturday now.

Mikan’s POV:

“A-Achoo!”

Sonia sneezed once more, putting her phone down for a moment to wipe her nose with a tissue as she layed in bed. I turned around, a worried expression on my face “A-Are you okay?! D-Do you need anything?” I ask, worried about her health. The princess shakes her head though “No Mikan, I assure you I am still *sniff* quite alright.” she says, her signature smile on her face.

Earlier in the afternoon, Sonia had come into my office with a high fever, and stuffed nose. When coming in, she had insisted that “This must be a curse incurred by a ritual Gundham and I performed yesterday!”. Right after she was sent into a coughing fit, and I confirmed it was most likely common cold.

And now Sonia and I were together in the office, my asking her to just to keep an eye on her condition. Even if it was the common cold, there were still different strains so I wanted to know how much of a danger it was to other students. I was wearing a medical mask for protection. At least she won’t be bored since she appears to be looking at something on her phone.

But that only made me curious as to what she was looking at. It had been a while since she came in, and she hadn’t done much else. Actually, now that I thought about it, she looked at her phone a lot. And she was always looking at…

“Um, s-sorry for asking but… a-are you looking at serial killer websites again?” I ask apprehensively, not wanting to be rude. Sonia lifts her head up to look at me, before smiling bashfully. “Ah, yes, I am. Sorry if it is bothering you.” she says, once more flashing that smile. I vigorously shake my head in return- “N-N-No! That’s not it at all! It’s just… um, s-should you really be using your p-phone like that right now?” I ask, worried about her straining her eyes.

“I suppose not… but there’s just this one really interesting article!” she says, stars in here eyes. Not wanting to make her feel bad or kill her excitement, and getting kind of curious, I ask “Um… w-what’s it on?” I ask apprehensively.

“Ah, it’s on this one new serial killer! They only just started about a month ago, however they’re making quite a stir due to their unique way of killing!” she says, clearly excited about the topic. I, on the other hand, was already regretting my decision to ask. Sonia clears her throat a bit, before continuing “You see, somehow, a mark appears on the body of the victim the day that they get killed! And the name they’re given is based off the image of the mark: Roses thorn!”

I cringe- while I was happy that Sonia was excited, I really didn’t like talking about stuff like this. “Not to mention the absolutely gruesome way that they-” Sonia trails off, seemingly noticing my discomfort. “Ah, sorry Mikan. I just get really into this kind of thing” she says, smiling guiltily. I shake my head “N-N-No it’s okay- I c-can… ohhhh s-sorry I can’t t-take this kind of thing” I say, covering my head with my hands.

It was Sonia’s turn to shake her head, albeit much more gracefully than me “No no Mikan, you are quite alright. I understand that this is a rather… unusual thing to be interested in” she says, giggling a bit before coughing. Noticing this, I get up from my chair “A-Ah, you should really b-be resting though! Um, o-one moment-” I say, frantically going to the sink to get her some water.

“Really Mikan, I am okay. It is just a mere cold” she says, watching a bit distressed as I get her the water. Walking over to her bedside, I timidly hand her the water. “I know, but… even so, I s-said that I would take care of you with a-all of my might so… I want to keep that promise!” I say, Sonia taking the water in her hands. Sonia sighs “You really are the ultimate nurse, Mikan” she says, smiling.

“H-Huh?! W-What does that mean?! O-Oh no, am I being too overbearing?! Ohhh please forgive me!” I say, getting more and more worried by the second. “Please, do not worry!” says Sonia, though she looked rather worried herself. “I only meant… you are very kind and caring. I am glad to call you my friend” she says, taking my hands in hers and smiling.

Trying to keep from sobbing, I squeeze her hand back and wipe my eyes “T-T-Thank you! And um, I’ll be sure to truly take care of you with all of my might, rest assured!” I say, still sniffling. Sonia giggles, nods, and leans back. “Well then, I suppose I shall take a break from looking at my phone. Is there anything in particular that you would like to talk about, Mikan?”

The rest of the day, Sonia and I talked on and off about different subjects- although I felt terrible since I could never come up with any. However, eventually I sent her back to her dorm with a simple mask, and orders to stay in for at least two more days while her immune system took care of the rest. She accepted, and told me that she would come right back if it got worse.

My work done for the day, I log everything in and pack up to go back to my dorm. However, doing so just reminded me of what was to come tomorrow. Thankfully he didn’t notice, but I found myself glancing at Kokichi on and off, still trying to see if this was possibly some kind of joke. Maybe I would get stood up, or maybe he was planning to do something to me, and there would be other people there-

No no I can’t think like that! The people here… they’re nice! They… they don’t do stuff like that…  
Right?

I found myself having more difficulty than normal going to sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that you enjoyed this extra long chapter! I worked really hard on it, and I'm really proud. Next time, Kokichi and Mikan will finally interact in a more casual setting!


	10. Epic (arcade) Gamer Time

Kokichi’s POV:  
I woke up groggily, groaning a bit as I pulled the covers over my shoulder even more. After laying in bed for what felt like 10 minutes, I realize I wasn’t going back to sleep and open up my eyes.  
Oh shit. It’s 11 in the morning.  
Realizing this, I sit up and stretch, adrenaline pumping through me as I now have an hour to get ready before I’m supposed to meet up at the mall with Mikan and Gonta. Luckily, it doesn’t really take me too long to get ready, so fifteen minutes later I was ready to go. I noticed that Mikan’s bed was already empty, her sheets neatly done up. Makes sense for such a worry wart like her.  
Taking just a few more minutes to stretch, I finally open up the door. It was too late for breakfast, but I figured I’d get some food from a vending machine in the cafeteria. However, when I get there, low and behold I find my missing roommate, talking with a chick with an insanely colorful hairstyle.  
Mikan’s back was turned to me, but I saw the other one eye me for a moment, before continuing to talk excitedly with her- I guess my reputation precedes me. Paying that no mind though, I continue on and get some chips and a grape panta from the vending machines. Figuring I might as well, I walk over to the two girls excitedly and sit down.  
“Heya roomie! Who's the scene girl?” I ask, taking a sip of my soda. Mikan jumps a bit, apparently startled by my sudden appearance. Her nervous demeanor rearing its head again, she attempts to stutter out a response “O-Oh, um, t-this is-” “Ibuki’s name is Ibuki Mioda, ultimate musician!” she says, already giving off an energetic air. However, something about it felt off, a little artificial.  
I guess my reputation really had reached other classes. Not that I cared, but it was good to know how far my infamy went. “Nishishi, nice to meetcha! I’m Kokichi Oma, the ultimate supreme leader.” I say, laughing with my usual shit-eating grin on my face. “Uh, yeah. Ibuki knows” she says, avoiding eye contact while scratching the back of her head.  
Welp, seems like she’s already made her opinions on me. Figuring it’s about 11:30 at this point, I turn to Mikan “Anyways, we should get going if we want to get to the mall on time.” I say, taking yet another sip from my soda. Mikan looks up at the clock, her face becoming distressed when she did. “Y-Yes, I guess we should. A-Although, since it’s just the two and t-the mall doesn’t close in a while-” “So? Hmf, I figured a nurse would know the importance of punctuality!”  
She cringes, shrinking into her seat “S-S-Sorry! You’re right I sh-” “Don’t sweat it Mikan, you’re still waaay better at that stuff than Ibuki is anyways” says a brightly smiling Ibuki, trying to cheer her up. Honestly, I felt like I going a bit far, so I’m happy that someone was here to cheer her up for me this time.  
“Weeell that doesn’t change the fact that we should get going. Cmon!” I say, taking one final swig of my soda before standing up. As Mikan stood up, I grab her wrist and begin pulling her along, excited to get to the mall already. “A-AH! Um, b-bye Ibuki” she says, haphazardly waving goodbye to her friend. Ibuki does the same, and we were finally on our way.  
We walk to the nearest bus stop. Mikan offered to pay for it, but I declined and handed the driver some of my money instead. Throughout the entire ride, she was stiff and awkward, while I just joked around and acted like an overall little kid while munching on the chips from the cafeteria. Other than that though, the ride went pretty quickly, and we were at the mall before we knew it.  
After throwing out the chips wrapper, I return to Mikan in the center of the plaza. “Um, s-so where do you… w-want to go first?” she asks, anxiously tugging at her bandages. I give a playful “hmmmmmmmmmm” before answering her question. “Let’s just wait here for a little bit!” I say, placing my hands behind my head. Mikan stays silent for a few moments, before giving a quiet “O-Okay”.  
We were a little bit early, so I wasn’t surprised that Gonta wasn’t here yet. Not like I was worried he was going to be late with his talk of “gentlemen”. Still, standing in silence like this would just be awkward, especially with how anxious Mikan seemed to be. Sooo-  
“So have you ever been to this mall before?” I ask Mikan nonchalantly. This seemed to catch her attention, as her head shot towards me as if she wasn’t expecting to have any kind of conversation at all. “N-No, I haven’t… b-but I’ve heard about it before. It… w-was pretty popular with my old school” she says, continuing to tug at those bandages.  
“Well then, guess we’ll need to look around to find the arcade, won’t we?” I say, continuing to smile before looking around and- “Gontaaaa! Over here!” I say, waving him down. The giant catches sight of this, smiles, waves back, and starts walking towards us. “Hello Kokichi and Kokichi’s friend! It nice to meet you” he says, smiling at Mikan.  
Who was pale in the face and shaking in return.  
When I thought about Mikan’s reaction to not knowing Gonta was going to be here, this was not what I had pictured. Though I guess I should have seen it coming, since I forgot how intimidating Gonta can be when you first meet him. “Ah, did Gonta do something wrong?” he asks, looking at me with a worried and panicked expression.  
Looking at the still panicked Mikan, I turned back to Gonta and shook my head with a smile on my face. “Nah! Just give her some time” I say, hoping I didn’t just fuck up this interaction from the get-go. Should have just told her.  
Gonta gives a disheartened “Oh… okay”, while Mikan just continues to stay quiet. Welp, this was getting way too awkward. “Weeeell since we’re all here now: c’mooooon let's go to the arcade already!” I say, trying to relieve some of the tension. Both Mikan and Gonta nod, Gonta brightening up just a bit.  
We finally got going, though it was a way bumpier start than I would have liked. I occasionally oogled at some of the stands as we wandered aimlessly, the tension slowly fading: although I still caught Mikan looking anxiously at Gonta every so often. Guess she was suspicious of others as well, even if it was for all the wrong kind of people.  
“Um, Gonta see bright colored lights up ahead- does that… mean something?” He asks, looking down at me. I look ahead, and low and behold “Why yes it does! Arcade ahead! Get ready for some video games!” I say, rushing forward. Man, I haven’t been to one of these in forever… so I maaay be letting a bit too much genuine excitement show through.  
I reach the arcade, the other two catching up not too far afterwards. “Cmoooooon let’s play some games!” I say, heading in and rushing up to the token dispenser. I insert some coins, and happily take my tokens. I turn around to find both Mikan and Gonta standing behind me, seemingly at a loss as to what to do.   
Gonta’s pretty detached from the modern world, so I expected him to be a bit absent in this: I wasn’t expecting Mikan to though. “Hey, aren’t you two going to do anything?” I ask, pouting a bit. Gonta spoke up first “Um, Gonta not really good with this tek-nol-low-gee stuff” he says, scratching his head. I turn to Mikan, a questioning look on my face. She shrinks into her shoulders, tugging at her bandages. “I, um… d-don’t want to get in the way of your f-fun” she says softly.  
Well, guess I’m not changing their minds. “Hmmm alrightie! If you say so! Guess you’ll just have to watch me dominate at video games then, nishishi” I say, choosing to forget about it for now and just enjoy the arcade. A majority of the games were new, however, a select few of them were old school: perfect for me, since those tended to be harder. But I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of being a black hole for my tokens!  
I settle on a side-scroller, picking a character with some difficult but powerful combos as my avatar. Level 1 went by pretty fast, and so did level 2. 10 minutes later and I was on level 6. I had lost about one HP throughout the entire experience. Even if my back was turned to them, I could pretty much feel the awestruck expressions on Mikan and Gonta’s faces.

Mikan’s POV:  
I watched intently as Kokichi continued to exceed at the game he was playing, momentarily forgetting about my anxieties about the new person, and Kokichi’s motives for inviting me here. He had a kind of reflex that I could only dream of having, calculating what the enemies would do in just a fraction of a second.   
...Why am I invested in this like it was real life? Taking awe in something like a videogame? I mean it was true that I admired the kind of reflexes needed to do something like this, but it wasn’t anything that really mattered in real life. Even so… it still felt fun. I hadn’t played video games since Chiaki had set them up on the second day, so the experience was still new to me. And I was finding out… that things like this were really fun.  
Too absorbed in my own thoughts like usual, I yelp as Kokichi lets out an excited cry “Alright! Onto the final boss!” He leans into the machine closer, focusing as he played through the level that lead to the end of the game. I set aside my thoughts for the time being, and watch closely as he fights the flashy boss.  
“Damn! I knew I should have ducked instead of jumped!” Kokichi said in frustration as the “continue” timer counted down, before laughing it off and turning back to us. “Well then, that was fun! Told you I’d dominate” he says, smirking. Gonta nods “Yes! Gonta didn’t really understand a lot of it, but Kokichi move really fast and what happened on the box look really cool! Um, could Gonta try?” he asks, starry eyed. Kokichi does an over exaggerated thinking pose “Hmmm… sure, why not” he says, laughing. “Feel lucky! It is not every day that the supreme leader of evil decides to be so generous!” he says, before handing the token to Gonta and walking towards where I was. I stand there in an awkward silence for a few moments, before Kokichi speaks up.   
“Sooooo what’d you think?” he asks, looking at me with a somewhat smug face. “A-Ah, you did an amazing job! I c-could never do something like that on my first try” I say, trailing off and once more tugging at my bandages. “Hmm… yeah probably!” he says, laughing to himself as he places his arms behind his head.   
We watch Gonta figure out how to get the machine to start for a bit, before he finally does. He takes a few more moments to get used to the controls before finally braving the rest of the map. “Hah, look! Gonta did it! But… where do enemies go when they disappear?” he asks, turning to Kokichi. It was just for a moment, but I swear he had a distressed expression on his face.  
And of course he goes back to that smile. “They’re hallucinations, so when you hit them they go poof!” he says, avoiding the actual answer. I didn’t know why, but Gonta seemed to take the explanation well and continued to play the game happily, if not somewhat clunkily.   
“Um, w-why didn’t you tell him the truth?” I ask Kokichi cautiously, glancing over at Gonta every so often. “Hmm? Oh yeah, Gonta’s a pacifist, and if he knew you were killing them he’d stop playing. That’d be a total waste of a token!” he says childishly.  
I… suppose that’s true. I wasn’t expecting something like that from someone who was so… scary looking, though. “You’re gunna try too, right?” I hear Kokichi ask nonchalantly, attention still on Gonta. “Um… y-you mean the game?” I ask cautiously.   
“No, punching someone into smoke!” he says laughing. “Buuut that’s a lie. Yeah, the game.” he says, still in high spirits. I tug at my bandages even more “A-Are you sure I wouldn’t b-be wasting one of you tokens?” I ask, not wanting to do something he doesn’t want me to.   
He sighs, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice “If I don’t consider Gonta playing a waste of a token, then why would you be? The only way you could waste it is if you died in the game intentionally.” then he gasped “Is that your plan? You fiend!” he says. “A-Ah, I promise I wouldn’t do that!” I say frantically, trying to reassure him that I could be trusted. He laughs playfully “Hmmm… then prove it! Play the game when Gonta’s finished” I wait for a few moments, hesitating in my answer, but… “O-Okay” I say softly. Kokichi grins, and we return to watching Gonta, who’s still somewhat struggling with the controls.  
About a minute later, Gonta’s avatar died, and the “continue” counter popped up once again. “Ah, what happen? Why little person in screen no longer there?” he asks. “You lost Gonta, we need to insert another token to play again” says Kokichi, stepping up closer to the machine. “Oh, that what happened. Um, then who go next?” he asks.  
Kokichi smirks and turns to me, hands behind his head. Realizing what he wanted me to do, I gulp back some anxiety and walk forward. “U-Um… me” I say softly, raising my hand while tugging at my skirt hem. “Well then, here ya go!” Kokichi says, handing me a token and walking with Gonta to get out of my way. I take a few more steps towards the arcade machine, take a deep breath, and insert the token.

Kokichi’s POV:  
I watch Mikan from the sides, leaning on one of the arcade machines that was close by. As jittery and anxious as she was, she actually had pretty good reflexes when it came to controlling the avatar. You could still practically feel the anxiety coming off of her when she played, though. “Wow, Mikan doing very well!” says Gonta, flashing that usual dopish smile of his. She gives a small whimper, her body language indicating she was flustered by the comment. I decide to join in. “Yeah! It’s almost like you’ve played this game before! Heeeeey, you weren’t lying when you said you’d never come here before, right?” I ask.  
Mikan flinched a bit, causing her avatar to lose some health- “N-No, I promise I wasn’t!” she says hastily, before noticing the amount of enemies surrounding her avatar and quickly getting back to the game. I chuckle a bit “If you say sooooo” I say in a teasing manner, leaning on the arcade machine a bit more. Mikan was actually doing pretty well, so Gonta and I took up chatting a bit. “Um, Gonta wanted to thank Kokichi for invited Gonta here. This a lot of fun, and Kokichi’s friend seem really nice too!” he says, once more flashing that smile.   
“Hmmmm, it’s whatever” I say, looking at the screen of the game Mikan was playing. She was already at level 5, and doing pretty well for it as well. “How many more tokens does Kokichi have?” asks Gonta. Not entirely sure myself, I check in my pocket. “Hmmm… about 7. Why?” I ask. “Oh. Gonta was just wonder… if he could play game again. Gonta has never done anything like this before, but it really fun, and Gonta want to learn!” I raise an eyebrow. “Well then, we’ll see. Nishishi” I say, smiling to myself and paying attention to Mikan’s playing again.  
“A-Ah, No no no no no no no-” Mikan cries, as her avatar dies to the boss on the sixth level. She honestly had been doing well- however the sixth boss kind of amps up the difficult attack styles, and Mikan had hesitated. Not exactly the best thing to do when projectiles are flying towards you. “S-Sorry… I died” she says, tugging at her bandages. “I mean, yeah but spectacularly!” I say. Gonta nods “Yeah! You still did better than Gonta did, and Gonta think you did great job!” Mikan looks at Gonta in surprise, before- “I… t-t-thank you!” she says, shutting her eyes tight as if bracing for something. Gonta’s smile widens “You are very welcome!”  
Laughing a bit, I interrupt “This is nice and all, but let’s get back to playing!” I say, taking out another token from out of my pocket. I was starting all over again, and I had already played through most of the game my first run, so the first few levels were pretty tedious. Due to that, I found myself listening in on what Gonta and Mikan were talking about. “So, how Mikan meet Kokichi?” asks Gonta. Mikan lets out one of her signature squeeks of surprise, and takes a few moments answering. “U-Um, well we’re… k-kind of roommates” she says softly.  
I couldn’t see their faces, but I could only imagine the confusion on Gonta’s. “But… Kokichi boy and Mikan girl… isn’t that kind of strange?” he asks. I laugh to myself, thinking about how weird it was in retrospect. “It… r-really is. We don’t know w-what happened but… nobody's told us there was any mistake after all t-this time so…” There was a bit more silence between the two. “That… very strange. But if it mean that Kokichi and you become friends, then is good thing, right?” he asks. I could practically feel that dopey smile of his that he was probably flashing.  
“I… wouldn’t r-really say we’re friends though. A-Ah, not to be rude! It’s just… w-we don’t really talk that much… I d-don’t even really know why he invited me here” says Mikan, her tone somehow softer than usual. “Huh, really? Hmm… that is mystery… but Mikan seem very nice, so Gonta can understand why!” he says. I heard a flustered squeal from Mikan. “Ah, is Mikan alright?” asks Gonta. “A-Ah, yes! Y-Yes I am-” she replies in a hurried tone.  
“Is… Mikan sure? She seem… troubled” says Gonta, his voice soft and somewhat concerned. “Um… y-yes, I am. S-Sorry for m-making you worry about someone like me-” she says. I furrow my brows, wondering just what the hell was going on over there. Turning around for just a moment, I check out the situation. Mikan was looking pensively at the floor, seemingly shaken by something. Gonta, on the other hand, had a worried expression on his face. Wonder what that’s about. Hearing the sound that meant that my character just took a hit, I turn my attention back to the game, though my mind was now racing with what the hell what I just saw meant.  
Within a few more minutes, I was finally back to the final boss. Furrowing my eyebrows, I concentrate heavily on the patterns. They were complex, but patterned. With just a bit more concentration, a bit more effort, a few more hits, and a bit more time- “YES!” I say, dramatically taking a step backwards as the “congratulations” screen popped up. Mikan and Gonta rush forward, both smiling- to varying degrees.   
“Wow, that amazing Kokichi!” says Gonta, an amazed smile on his face. ‘Um, h-have you played this before?” asks Mikan. I shake my head “Nope! Nishishi~” Mikan’s eyes widen in surprise, and- “Just kidding! I have! Or am I. Guess you’ll never know” I say, laughing a bit more. Mikan’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion: the exact kind of reaction I was going for. “Aaanyways, Gonta’s turn! Go ahead” I say, taking a token and tossing it to Gonta.  
Since I had already beaten the game, I let Gonta and Mikan use the rest of my tokens- after a bunch of protesting and insisting that they weren’t worth it from the latter. By the end of the tokens, Mikan had managed to get to level 9, while Gonta had gotten to level 4. Feeling satisfied, we all left the arcade together with large smiles on our faces.  
“So where to next?” asks Gonta, looking inquisitively at Kokichi. “Hmmm… how about the cafe? I hear they have smoothies so sweet it’ll make your teeth rot just by thinking about them!” I say, laughing a bit. “Um, it’s p-probably best if we… d-don’t drink something like that then-” says Mikan, cautiously wringing her hands, though a faint smile was still on her face.  
...then it wasn’t.

Mikan’s POV:  
I wish that the entire time here could have been happy. Could have been carefree. But… that’s not how the world works for me, is it? As we walked, I spot two oh-so familiar figures in the distance, staring at me. Once I had noticed, I felt my heart stop- my legs followed suit soon after.  
“Huh? Is Mikan okay?” asks Gonta, a worried look on his face. Kokichi stops as well, his expression more inquisitive. I nod, doing my best to put a smile on my face “U-Um, yeah! I just… f-forgot something! I’ll b-be right back so-” taking a few steps back, I get one last look at their confused faces, before walking over to the two figures.  
“So what the hell have you been up to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My my, whoever could Mikan have run into? puhuhuhu...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And if you did... then stay tuned for the next one


	11. A not so Happy Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has semi-mature themes, and depictions of mental and emotional abuse. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, then please be wary.

Mikan’s POV:  
“You up and left without saying a friggin word. What gives?” asks one of the two in a harsh, impatient tone. I flinch, cringing at their words. “I-I’m sorry I-” “You better be. Who the hell do you think you are? Heh, considering what others say you call yourself now, you must think you’re some hot shit, huh?” he says, stuffing one of his hands in a pant pocket. “Tch, Ultimate Nurse my ass.” he mutters, looking away annoyed.  
These two were Daiki and Genzo… two people I had known for most of my life. When most of the class would ignore me, they… actually spent time with me: as awful as I am. “I’m… s-sorry for being so useless” I say, my throat tightening as tears threatened to spill once more. “Stop whining. If you’re really so sorry then you’d actually do something about it.” says Genzo, narrowing his eyes.  
“Well, guess we’ll have to give you that chance once more. The abandoned playground. How about it?” asks Daiki with a smirk. “H-Huh? T-There? But…” “But what.” Genzo asks sharply. I flinch, taking a deep breath to steel my nerves as I tell them the conflict “T-The thing is… I’m k-kind of here with other people. I c-can’t just leave them! ...Right?” I say, anxiously fiddling with my hands.  
The two of them look at each other, looking somewhat confused. Daiki raises an eyebrow. “Oooh, really? Are these friends from your new school?” he asks, taking a step forward with a smile on his face. “F-Friends? Well, w-we don’t really know each other that well b-but-” “So you would ditch us just to stay with people who you don’t even know that well? Heh, guess that is something an inconsiderate person like you would do” he says, venom seeping out of his words.  
“I-I… inconsiderate?” I repeat softly, my heart rate increasing at the thought that I might be hurting childhood friends of mine. “I mean, I doubt they even care that much that you’re here. Like you said, you barely know each other, right?” he says, leaning down a bit to look me in the eyes better.   
That’s right… it probably doesn’t even matter that I’m there to them, does it? We don’t know each other that well, why would it? Still… just leaving them like this. “Well then, it seems like we’re in agreement” says Daiki, grabbing my wrist. “Cmon Genzo, we’re going” he says, starting to pull me along. I freeze for a moment, instincts kicking in as my panic about the situation worsens.   
“W-Wait right now!? I d-didn’t even say goodbye or-” “They won’t mind. Cmon, we’re the only ones who’ve been willing to hang out with you in the past anyways, right?” says Daiki, smirking again. “Just stop complaining about it already. They probably don’t even care about you.” says Genzo, crossing his arms.  
I look around frantically, trying to see if there was someplace else I could go. All I saw were other people though- some of them were looking at us, but a majority were just walking right past. One of them looked directly at me for a few moments… then turned their head and walked away.  
Between everything: my racing mind, how strongly Daiki was pulling me along, and Genzo’s words, I found myself going along with them. They… probably didn’t mind, right? Kokichi and Gonta were having a lot of fun, and Kokichi even invited Gonta spontaneously, so he probably cares about him more anyways… So they wouldn’t care… wouldn’t… care… if I...

Kokichi’s POV:  
It had been several minutes, and Mikan still wasn’t back. This wouldn’t be a problem… if she actually forgot something at the arcade. However, I didn’t believe that lie for a second. Honestly I’m surprised Gonta fell for it. She seemed so clearly scared- and she must have been, since it’s the first time I’ve actually heard her lie. Whatever was keeping her up, probably wasn’t good.  
“Hmmm… hey Gonta, I gotta go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back” I say, smiling as I exit the booth we were sitting in and then the cafe. Mikan could be anywhere in the mall, but something told me that what spooked her was close to where she broke off from the group. Going back the way we came, I kept an eye out for her choppy purple hair. After just a bit more walking, I finally spotted it- spotted her.  
Who the hell were the other two?  
Whoever they were, they immediately gave me a bad feeling. Geeze, I wonder why. Could it be the fact that they were literally dragging a panicked Mikan? These guys had no tact at all. But more than that, she was definitely not okay: that much was clear now.  
Walking up behind them, I tap the shoulder of the guy who had his arms folded. “Heeeey. Whatcha doin?” I ask, keeping up my mask. He turns around, a fowl look already on his face. “It’s none of your business. Now fuck off.” he says, eyes and words like ice.  
I laugh “Weeeelll you see, it kinda is my business.” I say. “I kinda came to the mall here with her, and she didn’t say anything about leaving the group yet! Much less with a bunch of idiots like you!”. At this point, Mikan and the person who had been dragging her along had stopped to look at the two of us. There was a distinct look of fear on her face- seems like I was right in stopping them. This was only further supported by the look of pure anger and annoyance.  
“The hell is going on Genzo. What’s the midget talking about?” he spits out, his eyes burning hatred opposed to this “Genzo”’s ice. “Hmm? What’s going on?” I ask playfully, before dropping my mask a bit and letting my face go blank. “What’s going on is that you’re taking Mikan against her will.” I say, just laying it out there. Shitheads like these two were some of the people I couldn’t stand.  
Mikan’s eyes widened in surprise, while the person who was grabbing her wrist tightened his grip. However, soon he smiled “Pfft, I have no clue what you’re talking about. C’mon tell him Mikan, we’re just gonna head over to the park, right?” he says, elbowing her in the side. Was this guy serious? His lie was so freaking obvious.  
Mikan stayed silent, looking down at the floor to avoid eye contact. She was a terrible liar too. “C’mon, you really think I’m going to fall for a lie like that?” I say, laughing. Genzo was still shooting daggers at me, however the other one gave a cough and laughed nervously- “What are you talking about?” he asks, continuing to tighten his grip on Mikan’s wrist.  
I snort, smirking “Really? You think I’m going to fall for that tired old line? You want to know what I’m talking about? Well then let me give you some tips on lying!” I say, smirking even more. “The hell are you talk-” “First off: you put on your fake happiness way too late. Anybody who has any semblance of observational skills would have noticed that awful expression you were making! Second off, you’ve been tightening your grip on her wrist the entire time. Most likely due to the stress and anxiety of lying!” I say, my tone playful as I speak.  
Meanwhile, that crappy facade that he had on earlier had pretty much melted. And then Mikan… “But there’s one more thing. The most obvious thing. You can’t expect the person you’re hurting to lie for you and be good at it. Mikan was clearly scared this entire time, and has only gotten more fearful as we’ve talked. So try and say you don’t know what I’m talking about, because i’m preeeeetty sure you do.”  
At this point, the one holding her hand was seething. Too bad I forgot about good ol’ Genzo, cuuuz he wasn’t all that happy either. “So. The hell are you going to do about it? It’s still none of your business.” he says, moving to stand between me and the other two. “Hmm… guess I can’t do much! Except…” I trail off, trying to get them to crack more. “Except what?!” Genzo barked, seething as well.  
I smirk “Except you made one more mistake. This is in public. We’ve been keeping it pretty lowkey for the time being, but what would happen if I… screamed you were taking a girl against her will?” I say, knowing that I had already won at that point. I laugh even more “I mean, it wouldn’t even be a lie!” I say, gloating a bit.   
Genzo moved towards me, and for a moment I thought I was going to get beat up but- “Stop.” says the other one, letting go of Mikan’s wrist with a huff. “We can’t make a bigger scene than we already have. Let’s just go, it isn’t worth it.” he says, obviously hating every word uttered. “But-” “I said it isn’t worth it. We can find her again.” he says, glaring at Mikan and then me.   
Genzo glares at me one more time, before storming over to his friend. Mikan gets out of their way as they both begin to finally leave, but one of them stops for a moment. He glares at me one more time, before continuing to walk away. Mikan watched them, dumbfounded, before walking back over to me.  
“W-Why did you…” she asks. I turn to her, cocking my head “Hmm? Why did I what?” I ask, pretending to be dumb. “Y-You didn’t… have to do that. Why did you…?” she asks, her voice even softer. I think for a moment, before smiling playfully “Mind if I tell you a secret?” I ask. She cocks her head “I… r-really? To… me? Um, n-no, I don’t mind” she says, tugging at her skirt hem.  
“Kaykay! Theeen” I lean in close to her ear and whisper “I’m actually a superhero! I defeat bullies by getting into their minds and controlling them!” I say, laughing a bit. Mikan’s eyes widen, and her eyebrows furrow in confusion- “W-What?! That’s-” “Obviously a lie. Nishishi. I know.” I say, taking a few steps back. “Buuuut this isn’t. Gonta’s still waiting for us at the cafe. You comin?” I ask, cocking my head.  
She takes a few moments, before nodding. “Y-Yes! Yes I would r-really like to” she says, nodding. “Well then, what are we still standing here for?” I say, before turning towards the direction of the cafe “Let’s go!”  
On the way back, I take in the situation that just happened. I knew from day one that there was most likely something underneath those bandages, and part of me said that those two were the reason why. If that was true then it’s a damn good thing I went with my gut and checked up on her. People who pray on those who can’t do a damn thing about it really piss me off. I couldn’t help but wonder just how long she had been dealing with those assholes. If she had known then before this, then a lot of her behavior made a lot more sense.  
Well I didn’t have long to think about that kind of thing, since we were back at the cafe in what felt like no time. “Ah, there Kokichi and Mikan! You two okay?” Gonta asks, his tone worried. I decide to let Mikan take point on this one. 

Mikan’s POV:  
It took me a bit to realize that Kokichi wanted me to be the one to answer Gonta’s question- and when I did, I have to admit, I had a bit of a panic attack- I didn’t want to make Gonta worry about what had just happened, so I respond with a “A-Ah, yes we are- s-sorry to make you worry!” while bowing hastily.  
“Yeah, I’m sorry too! We went to the arcade, but then suddenly we were told there was a bomb! Luckily Mikan and I diffused it just in time!” says Kokichi, telling yet another one of his weird lies. Gonta and I exchange some confused glances with each other before, and Kokichi laughs before sitting down in the booth. “Aaaanyways, what are we ordering? Last I checked we haven’t even looked at the menus yet”  
“Ah, that right! Um, what do Kokichi suggest?” asks Gonta, sitting down across from him. I cautiously sit next to Kokichi, resting my fidgeting hands in my lap. “Hmmmm… parfaits!” he says, holding out the menu for Gonta and I to see. My eyes widen as I look at the picture of the brightly colored food- “W-Wow.. It looks delicious” I say. “Gonta don’t think he had parfait before! Gonta would like to try one!” he says, a smile on his face.  
“Well then-” Kokichi flags down a waitress. “Three parfaits please!” he says. The waitress nods, and we all hand in our menus. “Sooo you’ve never had one of these before Gonta?” asks Kokichi, a curious smirk on his face. “Yes! There no parfaits in woods. This Gonta’s first time hearing about them” he says, smiling wide.   
Kokichi and Gonta had begun to talk about what other foods Gonta had missed out on, however my mind was preoccupied with what had just happened. I was still a bit panicked, even though the those two weren’t around me anymore. I just really needed something to distract myself with. So I look around the room, taking in everything before my eyes land on a TV playing a news story.  
“Breaking news: The serial killer named “Roses Thorn” by the police has made their way to the Tokyo region. The victim's body was found last night in an old bar, and while we were told that the description of the body is too gruesome to state on the air, we can confirm it is indeed the work of the Rose’s Thorn due to the signature mark on the victim, as well as positioning of the body. Police speculate that the victim had been dead for at least two days before they had been discovered. Even though it is only the first death in the Tokyo, the Rose’s Tho-”  
“I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff Mikan” says Kokichi, snickering a bit. I snap out of it, jumping in my seat. “A-Ah! Um, n-not really it’s just that… I r-remember one of my classmates talking about that serial killer yesterday” I say, looking back up at the screen. Kokichi and Gonta look at the screen as well, the former resting his head on his arms “Hmmm… a serial killer in Tokyo, huh? That’s pretty close to us, we better watch out! Though they do seem pretty interesting” he says, laughing a bit before looking up at the screen with a somewhat bored expression.  
Gonta, on the other hand, looked rather upset- “Gonta don’t think so. How could someone do something so terrible?” he asks, seemingly distressed. Kokichi snickers “Ohhh for many reasons! There’s revenge, heat of the moment anger- but serial killers like them are usually just psychos!” he says, chuckling. Gonta’s expression gets a bit more upset, and I start to worry a bit as well- “M-Maybe we should… s-stop talking about serial killers?” I say cautiously, tugging at my bandages.  
“Hmmm… okay! Our parfaits are here anyways!” says Kokichi, pointing to our waitress holding a tray with three delicious parfetts. “Wow! They look much better in real life!” says Gonta, a kind of childish wonder in his eyes. “Here you go, three parfaits” says the waitress, putting them down on the table. “Thanks!” says Kokichi, grabbing a spoon and a parfait, and immediately digging in.  
Gonta and I join in soon after- and honestly… it was one of the best things I had ever eaten. Well- aside from Hanamura’s cooking- but that was a bit of a given… even if he himself was a bit... well the parfaits were good, and that’s what mattered at the moment. “Wow… t-these taste great!” I say, a genuine smile on my face. Gonta looks up from his food, a large smile on his face as well- “Yes! Gonta very much agree! This great choice Kokichi!” Kokichi, in response, smirks a bit after swallowing his most recent bite of parfait- “Oh course! Every choice I make is a great one” he says, a proud look on his face.  
Considering what I had observed of his sleeping habits, I didn’t exactly agree with that sentiment, but I kept that to myself. I smile a bit more, before a thought occurs to me- “Um… s-so how are we going to pay for this?” I ask softly, shrinking into my shoulders slightly to prepare for some kind of annoyance from the others. “Oh… Gonta didn’t think of that” he says, looking down. Kokichi places his parfait down, leaning back in his seat in thought- before taking out his wallet and thumbing through it.  
“Yeah I think I got this” he says, closing his wallet and smiling playfully. “Wow, really? Thank you Kokichi, that very kind of you” says Gonta, smiling happily. I, on the other hand, grimace slightly. It… didn’t feel right, having Kokichi pay for all of this stuff. I instantly regret letting my hesitance show though, as Kokichi raises an eyebrow as soon as he looks at me. “Hmm? Something wrong?” he asks nonchalantly.  
Gulping a bit as I realize I now have to explain myself, I do my best to gather my courage- “It’s j-just that… you’ve been p-paying for things this entire time… is that… r-really okay?” I ask, my voice getting quieter and quieter with anxiety with every word uttered. Kokichi looks at me with a blank expression for a few moments, before he shrugs playfully “Weeeeell if you’re offering me a gift as tribute then I certainly won’t refuse” he says, smiling widely.   
I take in a breath of relief, happy that I didn’t overstep my bounds. “T-Then um-” I fiddle with my bag, taking out my wallet and taking out some cash from it. “T-These should be about… nine dollars in t-total, right?” I ask. Kokichi nods, and I place the cash in my pocket.   
“Gonta… feel kind of bad for not doing anything” says Gonta, looking down at the parfait in his hands. Kokichi and I exchange a look of confusion, before turning to Gonta “Nah- you aren’t obligated to do anything. We volunteered to pay for stuff anyways” says Kokichi, a smile on his face. “Besides… who says I won’t have you repay me later, nishishi” he says, leaning forward with a smirk on his face. “But of course that’s a lie!” he says playfully. That… seemed to be something he said a lot. “Um, I know t-that it’s r-redundant but… um… I don’t t-think you have to do anything e-either. I mean… t-this was a lot of fun, s-so…” I fidget with my hands, my words slow as I try to craft them as carefully as possible.  
Gonta looked at us both, somewhat surprised, before smiling widely- “Gonta have fun too! If that really how Kokichi and Mikan feel, then Gonta try not to worry about it too much… but if there any way that Gonta can help, then please let Gonta know!” he says, scratching the back of his head bashfully. That’s when he appeared to get an idea- “This really lot of fun… Gonta would like to do it again- if Kokichi and Mikan would like to” he says, looking at us expectantly with a smile on his face.  
I was stunned for a moment- I didn’t think this would go so well that somebody would want to do it again, and actually include me. I thought that the situation with Daiki and Genzo would have been a deal breaker… then again he wasn’t aware of that situation. But Kokichi… “Sure! I guess I can take a break from running the world next weekend too” he says, smiling wide. I was surprised, to say the least- I thought he would think it was too much trouble but- oh no, they’re looking at me. I jump a bit as I realize I was the only one who hadn’t reaffirmed my want to do this again. I hesitate for a moment, before nodding frantically- “M-Me too! This… w-was a really fun day” I say softly, hands clenched in my hands.  
“Then it decided? We come back next week?” asks Gonta, an eyes and smile wide with excitement. With a smile, I nod, while Kokichi gives a carefree “Yup!” in response. I find a smile has creeped onto my face, as I look into my now empty parfait dish. Sitting here and talking like this… it made me feel calm… happy. Kokichi and Gonta were talking some more, but I found myself too absorbed in my own thoughts to pay much attention- as awful as that sounds.  
Soon enough, we had all finished our food, and Kokichi flagged down the waitress once more to get a cheque. “So… what now?” asks Gonta, looking around. “Hmmm- I’m pretty tired, soooo I’m going to head back to the dorms” he says, stretching his arms a bit. I hesitantly nod in agreement- “I’m… p-pretty tired too” I say, tugging at my bandages. Despite being in a better mood, that situation from earlier… I just wanted to rest. Gonta looked a little disappointed, which made me cringe in guilt, but he nods “Then… Gonta see you all here next weekend!” he says, smiling,  
Kokichi snickers a bit “We’re still here ya goof. We’re just waiting on the- aaaaaaaaand it’s here” he says, looking at our waitress. She drops off the cheque, and I look it over- about nine dollars, just as Kokichi had said. “Then… s-should we um… go?” I ask, fidgeting with my hands. Kokichi and Gonta both nod, and we get out of the booth one by one. I head up to the cashier to pay for our food, hand them the cash, and then we all leave the cafe.   
“Soooo what should we do next time?” asks Kokichi, arms behind his head in his usual nonchalant manner. “Gonta would like to play video games again! They very fun!” he says excitedly. “Um… t-that cafe was really nice too” I chime in, speaking softly. Kokichi thinks to himself for a moment- “So the same stuff, eh? Weeeell if you all are going to be so boring, then I’ll add something on. Pretty sure I saw a movie theater back there, so next time we come here, we’re going! Your leader demands it!” he says playfully.  
We all laugh a bit at Kokichi’s antics, and before we know it we’re at the bus stop. “R-Really, please let me pay for the bus fare this time- y-you’ve already payed for so much” I say to Kokichi, who merely shrugs “Fine whatever. Gonta, you coming with us?” he asks, turning to him. Gonta shakes his head- “No. Gonta much prefer to run! But will see you two back at school” he says, a large smile on his face. “It really nice to meet you Mikan!” he says, looking rather energetic. I wouldn’t have ever thought I’d say this in earnest when I first met him due to how scary he looked but… “I-It was really nice to meet you too!” I say, a genuine smile on my face.  
Gonta’s smile widens, before he turns around and starts waving- “Then Gonta will see you later!” he says, waving as he begins to jog towards the direction of the school. Kokichi and I wave back, and soon enough the two of us are left to wait at the bus stop. “Soooooo how’re ya doin’?” asks Kokichi, cocking his head playfully. I jump a bit, startled, before answering- “I… um, I’m okay” I say, touching my wrist gingerly. Kokichi looks at me, almost as if he was studying me, before once more standing up straight. “Okily dokily!” he says, turning to face towards the street.  
After a little bit more time, the bus finally came, and Kokichi and I board. I pay for the fare this time, and we begin our journey back to Hopes Peak. The entire time, all I could think about was what happened with Daiki and Genzo… and what Kokichi did. This entire time, I thought that he was cruel- if not a little bit childish. But what he did back there… he stopped them. He… he kept me from having to go with those two- and god knows what would have happened if I did.   
Maybe… he wasn’t as bad as the rumours made him out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, their friendship begins to bloom. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did then I hope that you stick around for the future! Thank you for reading this chapter of Bandaged With Lies


	12. A somewhat happy resolution

Kokichi’s POV:  
Mikan and I finally got off the bus, its stop being right outside of hope’s peak academy. I waited at the gates for a bit while Mikan thanked the bus driver, thinking about what had just happened. In truth, ever since the run in with those two assholes, it was all that had truly been on my mind. Which meant that, of course, I was just feigning a sense of closure back when we were at the bus stop.  
I put those thoughts aside however, as Mikan had finally come back. “S-Sorry for keeping you w-waiting!” she says, that signature anxious look on her face. I smile wide and fold my arms behind my head “It’s fine- Let’s just get back to the dorm already! My legs are tired after all that walking around” I say, feigning a look of complacency. Mikan nodded frantically, and we began heading back towards our dorm.   
About two thirds of the way there, Mikan stops. I stop too, looking back at her with a puzzled expression. She was looking down at the floor, fidgeting with her hands- somehow, it seemed like she was more anxious than usual. “What’s up?” I ask, since she was taking forever to get the words out. Mikan jumps a bit, but finally looks up from the floor. “I… j-just wanted to thank you… for t-today. F-For how fun it was and- ...a-and what you did for me” she says, her last few words barely above a whisper.  
I chuckle a bit, and smile wide- “It’s whatever! Just means that you owe me even more now, nishishi” I lie. Mikan’s eyes widen a bit, seemingly in thought, before she nods. “R-Right” she says, her tone a bit lighter than before, and a hint of a smile on her face. As I turn around and we begin walking again, I couldn’t help but wonder what it was she was thinking about.   
I talk Mikan’s ear off about random stuff for the rest of the way there, a kind of light feeling in the air as we do so. But before long, the mazes of hallways eventually lead us to our dorm. Since I was in front, I take out my key and open the door. We both enter, and I immediately plop onto my bed and open up my laptop. I compulsively go to click on the bookmark to the chatroom D.I.C.E. uses, but then stop myself when I remember why I asked Mikan to hang out in the first place.  
I sigh in irritation, and open up a puzzle game instead. The cheesy music pops up, and I mute the laptop. Selecting the hardest difficulty there is, I hit play. While the game loads, I take the time to look around- Mikan had nestled up in her bed with a book like usual. Taking note of this, I return my attention to the puzzle game, which had finally loaded.  
The hardest difficulty wasn’t even that hard for me. I had had this game for a while, and the puzzles in it didn’t even phase me anymore. This gave me time to think about other things- and that included what had happened at the mall.   
Those two who were pulling Mikan along left a sour taste in my mouth- I’ve known my fair share of entitled assholes who abuse their power, and in just those few moments of meeting them those two had checked all the boxes for that title. And the person who they were using probably didn’t even think to fight back.  
We hadn’t spoken all that much, but it didn’t take a detective to notice how Mikan behaved. Not to mention the type of reputation she had gotten. Obviously it wasn’t as bad as mine, but even I had heard of the types of “offers” she would make. Drawing on her, embarrassing imitations, even stripping- whenever she got too freaked out, which didn’t take much, she would offer these types of things. It had made quite the impression on others.  
And things fit just a bit too nicely if those two were somehow involved. Once more, it didn’t take a detective to figure out the kind of people they were. My interest was piqued, and I couldn’t help but ask her.  
“So how long?”  
Mikan jumps a bit surprise, and I see her look up from her book out of my peripherals. “W-What… are you t-talking about?” she asks softly, her voice confused and somewhat panicked- though that wasn’t really anything new. Still keeping my eyes on my laptop, I clarify a bit “How long have you known those two” I ask blankly.  
Mikan was now in a state of pure confusion, and she curls up her legs a bit. “I… um… s-since the second grade” she says, voice soft and somewhat unsure. That’s one theory confirmed- and now for the other- “And did they always treat you like that?” I ask, clicking a piece of the puzzle, dragging it, and connecting it with another piece. Mikan’s confusion intensifies, as she cocks her head- “Um… l-like what?” she asks.  
“Y’know, the entire dragging you by the wrist thing. That doesn’t stand out to you?” I ask, a bored expression on my face as I click yet another piece into place in the game. Mikan looks down at her bed sheets, avoiding looking in my direction- “N-Not really… it’s always b-been like that so… Why? S-Should it?!” she asks, voice suddenly becoming a bit frantic.   
I raise an eyebrow- “Uh, yeah? People don’t normally go around grabbing others and taking them places against their will” I say, putting the last piece of the puzzle in place and winning the level. There was an awkward silence between the both of us for a moment, as I started working on the puzzle of the next level.  
“Why… did you do it?” asks Mikan, her voice low and contemplative. I already knew what she was talking about, but I raise an eyebrow and feign ignorance- “Hmm? Why did I do what?” I ask, eyes still glued to the laptop. She fiddles with her blankets, face deep in thought, before speaking in a voice barely above a whisper.  
“W-Why did you save me?”  
I had to think on that question for a bit. There was the obvious base answer of “It’s what any decent human being would do”, but that wasn’t something I wanted to admit. So I thought up the best lie I could at that time: “Well, hanging out today was a part of your debt- can’t let you get out of paying that back now, can I?” I say, a bit of a smirk on my face. Mikan cocks her head in confusion for a moment, before realization dawned on her. “O-Oh… right. T-The first day…” she says, hugging her knees a bit.  
“Did you really forget?” I ask, half smug and half concentrated. I was about to finish this level as well. Mikan grows a bit flustered, frantically shaking her head- “N-No, nothing like that at all! I’ll um… d-do my best to make it up to you!” she says, though she sounded a bit panicked. Well, she wasn’t lying- I could say that much at least. “Nishishi, then we shouldn’t have a problem” I say, smiling up at her before continuing my game.  
She nods, and waits a few moments before hesitantly picking up her book again. And it was business as usual yet again. I didn’t mind that, of course: however, there was an uncomfortable tension in the air now. One of unanswered questions and deep thought.  
Not that I really cared though- I was used to that kind of atmosphere. Besides, I was about three out of four levels finished. Not that the game was that short, just this campaign. Not to mention the fact that I had played through it like a million times. The video games were just a distraction for myself anyways…  
Soon enough it was dinner time- I planned on staying inside like normal. Mikan had given up on trying to get me to go weeks ago, so I was expecting her to just head out without giving it a second thought- however-   
“Ohhh- I know you said you d-don’t want to go, and t-that you said I shouldn’t even bother but- are… a-are you sure you don’t want to go to dinner?” she asks, obviously scared out of her wits about doing so. I look up from my screen, surprised that she was actually asking- where the heck did this even come from.  
I smirk, letting out a dismissive laugh- “You already know that I won’t. I told you didn’t I: Gotta run the world from this laptop. If I leave for even a moment, the world could be thrown into chaos!” I say, ending my little speech with a bit of a pout. Mikan’s face contorts in worry for a few moments, before she thinks better of whatever she was going to do and exits the room with a quick “sorry”  
I wonder what brought that up.

Mikan’s POV:  
I exited the room with an anxious gulp- that… had failed completely. I knew that he had told me time and time again that he wouldn’t go but- with today's events especially, I couldn’t help but worry a bit more. I just couldn’t understand why he would do that to himself in the first place. Heaving a sigh, I keep my eyes low as I walk, keeping an anxious grip on my bag. And as I walk I spot-  
Crap.  
Crap crap crap-  
Around the area where Daiki had grabbed my wrist, a bruise was beginning to form. I panicked for a moment, feeling the pace of my breath quicken as I let the realization sink in. One thought was going on in my head: I can’t let anyone see this.   
Quickly heading to the nearest bathroom, I rummage around in my bag for something- a bottle of concealer. I had made it a habit to keep some on me at all times for reasons like this. Putting some product on my finger, I apply the makeup onto my wrist. Within seconds, it looked as if nothing had happened at all. Taking in a shaky breath, I take a few moments to collect myself.  
How… how long had it been since I had to do something like this? I had gotten so used to just having makeup free arms… it was a bit of a wake up call. But one that I couldn’t reflect on for much longer. I take in one last deep breath, and exit the bathroom.  
When I enter the cafeteria, the energetic voice of Ibuki greets me- “Mikan Mikan, you’ve got to try this juice” she says, shoving a bottle of some odd energy drink in my face. “H-Huh? Is… i-is it good?” I ask, a bit apprehensive about it. Ibuki shakes her head. “Nope! But the vibe it gives you is like nothing Ibuki’s ever seen! Ibuki’s super into it!” she says, pushing the drink closer to my face.  
I apprehensively take the drink in my hand, an unintentionally disgusted look on my face. The drink itself was a bright bright pink, with a black cap- certainly something that fit with Ibuki’s aesthetic. But her notes about the taste- I gulp back some fear, open up the cap, and pour some into my mouth.  
She wasn’t kidding when she said it didn’t taste good. It was very harsh, and very sour- so much so that if there was any kind of flavor, you wouldn’t even be able to tell what it was even if you wanted to. I coughed a bit, putting the cap back on the bottle and handing it back to Ibuki. “T-That was… um, interesting” I say, still recovering from the drink.  
“Are you sure you should be drinking stuff like that Ibuki? You don’t even know what’s in it, and I don’t trust that color” says Mahiru, a concerned look on her face. Hiyoko, who was eating gummies alongside her dinner, shrugged. “If the idiot wants to ruin her body with chemicals then let her. I’ll totally be laughing when she gets all fat though” she says, snickering. “You aren’t much better with those gummies, you know” said Fuyuhiko, an irritated look on his face.“Hey you take that back! At least I exercise by dancing!” she shoots back. Mahiru had a defeated look on her face, and just continued to eat her dinner.   
Ibuki shrugged with a “Whatever”, before taking another swig of the drink and shaking her head. “Now that’s extreme!” she says, playing an air guitar. I anxiously hold onto my bag as she does this, also concerned about how Ibuki’s health will turn out due to these drinks. “U-Um, I agree with Hiyoko. At the very least, p-please drink them in moderation” I say softly, hoping that she wouldn’t get upset with me saying such a thing.  
Ibuki looks disappointed, but nods- “Ohhh okay- so please stop making that face eventhoughit’ssupercutewhenyoudo”. I nod, tensing up a bit as I became hyper aware of my expression- what kind of face was I even making?   
“Hey, aren’t you going to get some of this food?” calls out Teruteru, who was standing by a plate of some kind of meat. It looked really good… crap my mouth was watering. As I attempt to wipe it, I feel Ibuki grab my wrist and pull me along towards Teruteru- thankfully it wasn’t the one with the concealer though.“We will!” she calls out energetically. “But you’ve already had some… ah well, I made plenty! It’s nice to see someone appreciate some good cooking. Especially someone so… sumptuous.” he says, letting his creepy side show again.  
“...Nevermind. Not hungry anymore” says Ibuki, who lets go of my wrist and heads back to the table. Teruteru looks down dejectedly, and I kind of felt bad for him. Stepping up to the table, I grab a plate and do my best to put on a comforting smile. “U-Um… I would still… l-like some food” I say. He perks up, a sly smile on his face as he puts some food on my plate- “See? Someone appreciates my brilliance!” he says, eying everyone at the table, to which Mahiru responds “We love your food just fine you’re just a creep!”  
Teruteru shrugs, and finishes putting food on my plate. Feeling awkward now, I sit next to Ibuki, who was talking energetically to the others. As I begin eating however, she soon shifts her attention to me, leaning in close to whisper in my ear- “So how was the mall with you know who?” she asks in a soft voice, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.  
“I-It was… a-actually really fun” I say, a hint of a smile on my face. Ibuki’s eyes widen in surprise- “Wow! Guess he isn’t as bad as the rumours say! Unless this is all part of a scheme- unless it isn’t- unless it is! Unless- ahhh, just know that Ibuki’s happy for you” she finishes, a smile on her face and a shrug in her shoulders.  
I nod happily, and dig into the food on my plate once more. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ibuki so worried before, so it felt nice to put her mind at ease: especially since she’s always doing that for me.  
Dinner went on rather pleasantly- although I felt very awkward since I wound up being the last to finish my food due to how late I was. I said my goodbyes to Ibuki, Mahiru, and Hiyoko, then left to head back to my dorm.   
And there Kokichi was, still using his laptop. It was well past 9 o’clock at this point, and yet he looked just as invested in what he was doing as when I left. Not looking up from his laptop, he gives a half hearted wave and a quick “Hey”, before continuing to do whatever it was he was doing.  
I sigh. Normally, stuff like this wouldn’t be a problem- however I was worried about his sleeping habits. Most nights, while I fall asleep, he would still be on that computer. It kept him up all night as far as I was aware, and Kokichi was certainly showing signs of sleep deprivation. I tried talking to him about it a week in, however he dismissed it similarly to how he dismissed my concerns about dinner.  
I knew it was useless, so I did my best to just ignore those urges to fawn over his health. It was just… something about today had resparked my worry for his health. Maybe… maybe it was because I wanted to pay him back for today.  
He had said that being there with him was a part of me paying him back for the first day- however I couldn’t help but wonder… if that was a lie. Of course I should probably take it at face value- I didn’t want to be presumptuous after all. However, he was known for lying… and today he did something that, as far as I know, went against the evil persona that had made him so infamous…  
I was probably overthinking things though. If I was wrong about this then I would be in real trouble so… it was probably best to just take what he says as is for right now.   
Putting those thoughts aside, I buried myself in my book, the silent typing and clicking of Kokichi’s laptop adding an ambient noise to the room. It was business as usual once again, but… I couldn’t help but still let some of those thoughts that I had fought so hard to push away seep through. I… was going to have to get a better hold of those...  
It wasn’t too much longer after that that I fell asleep, book next to my bed, and the tapping of Kokichi’s laptop still filling my ears.


	13. Learning by example

Mikan’s POV:  
I woke up to the usual: Kokichi still in deep sleep, most likely exhausted from staying up too late. I sigh a bit, getting up to get ready for breakfast. I do the usual self care stuff, but look down at my wrist. Since it wasn’t a school day, I didn’t have the long sleeves that the school uniform normally provided. Realizing this, I take out my concealer once more and put some onto the bruise.   
Despite that one abnormality, the rest of my morning routine went normally: Including Kokichi still being fast asleep as I leave the room. I tried not to think about it on my way to breakfast, not wanting to bother him with it again later in the day.  
I enter the cafeteria, doing my best to ignore Teruteru’s passing comment as I pick up my food and sit down by Ibuki. However, she already seemed involved in a conversation with Mahiru, so I decided to let them talk as I began eating my breakfast.  
“I didn’t see her yesterday either: I heard from Akane that she’s still sick but… to not come to breakfast is still really unlike her. I’m starting to get worried” says Mahiru, seeming to be a bit tense. “Well Ibuki thinks that they’re probably still okay so… wait Mikan’s here, let’s just ask her!” she says, turning to me with an excited and expectant look on her face-  
“H-Huh?! W-What are you talking about?!” I ask, tensing up a bit due to the unexpected attention. “We’re worried about Sonia: She wasn’t here at all yesterday, and since she’s sick she probably went to you. I think Ibuki’s asking weather or not you think she’s okay” says Mahiru, nervously tugging at the strap of her camera.  
Fiddling with my hands, I think over the question best I could: “W-Well, considering how she was on Friday-” I was cut off with a yelp, the door to the cafeteria opening. In came Sonia, seemingly feeling better- although it looked as though her nose was still a bit red.  
“Sorry for being late- I know that it is rather rude, however there were some things that I wanted to catch up on” she says, sitting down at the table with somewhat rugged breathing- she must have hurried to get over here.   
“It’s okay, but what were you doing?” asks Mahiru, cocking her head a bit. Sonia’s face brightened- “Ah, well it seems that quite a bit happened while I was sick! I was catching up with my favorite blogs on my phone, when I realized that I had lost track of time” she says, letting out an awkward laugh.  
“Huh? But aren’t all of the blogs you look at like- those really freaky ones about serial killers?” asks Ibuki, a confused look on her face. Sonia nods “Why yes, they are. It appears that the amount of murders had become quite a bit higher during the time that I was sick.” she says. The room goes quiet, a tension in the air as the words that seemed so innocent to Sonia set in.  
Mahiru was the first to speak up. “Um, what do you mean by that?” she asks, tension in her voice. Sonia, who seemingly caught onto the air of the room, became a bit more cautious with her next words. “Well, I am sure you saw the news recently, correct?” she asks. My mind immediately flashed back to that news story at the cafe.  
“You… y-you mean the roses thorn coming to the T-Tokyo region… right?” I say softly, fidgeting with my hands in my lap. Sonia nods enthusiastically- “Yes, that’s right! Well it appears that their victims in the Tokyo region has risen to two as of last night” she says, her voice becoming rather grave.  
“Um, the way you phrased that… there are more than two regions they’ve been in?” Asks Mahiru hesitantly. Once more, Sonia nods “Yes. Ours is actually one of the last regions that they’ve been in. It is part of the reason why they have been making such a name for themselves: It’s only been a month since they’ve been identified, and yet they have over 20 murders linked to them in almost every region of Japan. Sometimes multiple murders are committed in a single night” she says without fault, making it even more obvious just how knowledgeable she was about this kind of thing.  
“Uhg, I don’t want to hear about this freaky serial killer stuff anymore! Don’t you know how to shut your mouth?!” cries Hiyoko, covering her ears and nustling her head near Mahiru, who instinctively wrapped her arms around the small girl. “Ah, I am sorry Hiyoko- I did not mean to upset you-” “JUST KEEP YOUR STUPID MOUTH SHUT!” she shouts, once more leaving the room in a deafening silence and thick tension.  
It was Ibuki who broke the silence this time, an awkward clearing of the throat being her means of doing so. “Ibuki thinks we should probably stop talking about this scary stuff and eat our food” she says, doing her best to give a reassuring smile before awkwardly picking up her fork.  
We all nod, silently beginning to continue breakfast once more. Nobody said a word as we all took in the information that Sonia had given us in our own ways. Something about the idea of a killer like that being anywhere near where we were- it chilled us to the bone. A part of me was actually curious to learn more about them- but the other part was too scared to even break this pensive silence, much less bring the topic up again.  
This kept up throughout the rest of breakfast: Even when people started leaving, all that was said was a quick “see ya”, with silent nods from the others following. Soon enough it was my turn to leave as well, only parting with a small wave of the hand.  
Somewhat relieved to be out of that tense atmosphere, I thought about what to do next. When nothing came to mind, I gave up and decided that going back to my dorm might be the best course of action. I just had to try and keep myself in check, right?  
Right.  
Telling myself this, I head back to my dorm in a still somewhat anxious state. As I enter the dorm, I see that Kokichi had finally woken up- and was on his laptop again. He looks up from it briefly, gives me a short wave, and returns to using his laptop. At this point it was clear that not only had he skipped dinner last night, but he had also skipped breakfast.   
Don’t say anything don’t say anything don’t say anything- I had to keep telling myself that so that I wouldn’t bother him anymore, but somehow doing so just made it even more difficult to hold back. And yet… there… could be a different way to try and persuade him, right? Something that wasn’t as on the nose… Then maybe.  
“Um… K-Kokichi?” I ask apprehensively.

Kokichi’s POV:  
I raise an eyebrow, pausing my game and lifting up my head from my laptop a bit agitated- due to the tone in Mikan’s voice, I could tell I was probably going to get another lecture from her. It’s not like I didn’t appreciate the thought, but the least she could do was take the hint. Still, there was a possibility that wasn’t it, so I played along. “Yeeees?” I ask.  
“Um, w-well the thing is-” fidgeting with her hands. I was pretty sure where this was going, so I was about to stop her right then and there when- “Y-You aren’t really running the world f-from your laptop… are y-you?” she says, voice barely above a whisper.  
I had to resist the urge to laugh out loud- she hadn’t really taken it at face value, had she?! Because if so- “Noooo, you don’t say! Well it was an obvious lie. Geeze, how did you ever figure it out?” I ask sarcastically, still in disbelief that this is what she wanted to talk about.   
She fiddles with her hands some more, once again taking her time with answering- “W-Well um, I g-guess it was really obvious. I don’t think I ever r-really believed it but… w-with some of the crazy things people here d-do...” she tugs at her bandages, something I had recently recognized as a nervous habit of hers.  
“Welp, ya caught me! That was, in fact, a lie!” I say, smiling wide. “So, now that’cha know, what’re you gonna do with that information?” I ask, cocking my head. Mikan tenses up, an obvious sign that she hadn’t thought about that. “W-Well… I g-guess I just wanted to know what… w-what you’re really doing on there… a-ah, but if that’s too much for me to ask then um, p-please forgive me!”  
Well… she’s certainly making it hard to say no. I suppose it was a rather useless lie, so there’d be no harm in letting her know. It not like she’s going to stop nagging me whether I tell her or not.  
“Weeell… I suppose you’ve earned the truth, nishishi” I say, sitting up a bit more. “If you must know, I talk with my evil organization and play games on here” I say, smiling wide as I turn around my laptop to show off the pause screen of the game I was playing. This one was an rpg, and I had just been walking around one of the towns to stock up on items.  
Mikan’s eyebrows furrow, as she cocks her head in confusion- “You… y-you can play video games on your laptop?” she asks. I raise an eyebrow once again- “Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t you be able to be?” I ask, a bit too much of my confusion showing through.   
Mikan cringes, taking a step back. “A-Ah, sorry if that was an irritating question- I’m just… n-new to video games” she says, tugging at her bandages. That, of course, wasn’t the problem. “Well, I guess I can forgive the question- but isn’t that kind of common knowledge?” I ask, cocking my head.  
Mikan tenses, confused by my words again. “It… i-is?” she asks. I scoff in disbelief “Geeze, you weren’t kidding when you said you’re new to video games- you’re practically new to technology itself. Are you sure you didn’t grow up in the wild like Gonta?” I ask in a teasing tone- to which Mikan shook her head vigorously, before realizing what she was denying. “W-Wait, he grew up in the wild?!”  
Disregarding her question, I sit up fully and bring my laptop a bit closer to myself. “Well, since it seemed like you were having fun at the arcade, I’ll do you a favor: I can show you how to play computer games by example!”  
Mikan’s eyes widen in surprise. “You… y-you would be willing to teach someone… l-like me?” she asks. “Hmm- sure why not!” I reply, a nonchalant shrug on my shoulders. “You just need to be willing to sit on the floor” I say. “H-Huh? The floor?” she asks. I laugh- “Well duh. I don’t know if you noticed but there’s no way these beds can support the weight of two people.” I say, smirking.  
“B-But that’s terrible for your back- not to mention-” “For once, maybe forget about the small things and do something fun? Y’know, unless you wanna be a stick in the mud” I say, shrugging. Mikan hesitates for a moment, before shaking her head. “N-No, I don’t… a-and I really want to learn about this s-so…”  
Hopping off my bed with my laptop and sitting on the floor, I get comfy- “So sit down and watch already” I say. Mikan once more hesitates, before sitting down just behind me. She adjusts her position a few times, obviously nervous for some reason. I don’t pay that much mind though, as I unpause the game and get started.  
“S-So, um, what kind of game is this?” she asks quietly. “I don’t t-think I’ve seen one like it”. I head into one of the villages shops and answer the question- “Well, you see: This is an RPG, or role playing game. You get to fight epic monsters with spells and strategy!” I say, buying some mana and health potions.  
“B-But then… what’s this? Why are you in a shop?” she asks, leaning forward to inspect the screen a bit closer. “Uh, because I wanna stock up before going back into the forest” I say. That’s when it hits me- “Oh yeaaaaaah, you’ve probably only played beat ‘em ups, haven’t you?” I ask. Mikan cocks her head- “B-Beat ‘em ups?” Exiting the shop in game, I nod- “Yeah, beat ‘em ups. Yknow, those ones that focus on letting you fight things instead of having a story?” I say.  
“O-Oh… so RPG is the other g-genre then?” she asks. I laugh- “Nnnope! There are tons of differe- shit an enemy” I say, realizing that a battle had started while I was distracted. Since it had come to me first, it got first hit, and my team had already lost a bit of health. “A-A-Ah, sorry!” Cries Mikan. I ignore her apology and set actions for each of my party members. They each carried out the actions, and the enemies wound up losing a lot of their health.  
“W-Wow” Mikan exclaims, eyes glued to the screen. “I-It looks so… pretty” She says, gawking at the flashy spell animations that were playing on the screen. I chuckle a bit, figuring I might as well show off- “If you think that looks cool, then watch this!” I say, making one of the party members perform their strongest move. These were pretty low level enemies, so I didn’t really have to do that, and they died immediately after- but Mikan seemed pretty entertained.  
Back in the open world, I check what the enemies had dropped. Just some crafting materials and potions, nothing much. But Mikan seemed fully invested at this point. “Hmhmhm, that was really f-fun! Is the entire game like that?” she asks. I shrug “More or less. I’m mainly here for the crazy battle system, but there’s a story going on as well. It’s pretty bad, but the game mechanics keep it interesting”  
Mikan cocks her head- “Games can have… stories?” she asks. “Eeeeyup. A lot of them do” I say, surprised she didn’t even know that. Mikan nods, hugging her knees as she looked at the screen a little bit more intently than before. As I continued to explore the open world, I couldn’t help but wonder why she knew so little about things like this. Even people who hate video games know about the stuff she’s asked about today- her level of knowledge on the subject was like she had never seen one in her life before this.  
Eh, well I didn’t care enough to interrogate her on it, so I continued to play the game- wasn’t my place anyway. Seems like she has a sensitive past. Neither of us had much to talk about, so I continued to play the game with the occasional comment from Mikan. However, a thought occurred. I pause the game.  
“So, you gonna make me play this the entire time?” I ask. Mikan tenses, cocking her head- “I- w-what do you mean?” she asks, startled. I pout, faking distress. “Geeze, you’re so mean! Making me play this much just so you can watch. I thought the *sniff* point of teaching was so you could do it yourself. You’re so mean!” I say, ending the charade with some fake tears.  
“A-AH, sorry! I’ll do it, I’ll do it right now- so p-please stop crying!” she says frantically, tears of her own comting to her eyes in her panic. Immediately becoming cheerful again, I smile wide. “Okay! Then let’s trade places!” I say, stretching my back a bit before getting up. Mikan nods, and the both of us take up our new spots.  
“Um, s-so… how do I unpause the g-game?” she asks. Crap. I didn’t teach her what keys to press yet “Oh, right. The controls” I say, leaning in and pointing out the different keys to press on the laptop. I wanted to tell her that the unpause button was alt F4, but I could practically hear her apologizing at the thought, so I held back. Within a few minutes, Mikan assured me that she knew what to do, and sat back to watch her.  
Mikan takes a deep breath, before resuming the game, and carefully hitting the control to move around the world. Where she was supposed to go was marked on the map, so I didn’t bother with giving her any further instructions. Didn’t need to either- even if she was new to this, Mikan caught on pretty quickly. That was until we got to the battle portion of the game.  
You see, the battle system was fun, but took a lot of getting used to. You pick it up at the beginning of the game, along with its nuances. Not exactly friendly to just jump into. It didn’t take long before the entire party died. “Woooooooooooooow. You really suck at this, don’cha?” I say, smirking as I hold my head in my hands. Mikan whimpers, sniffling and wiping her face. “I’m s-sorry- you m-must have worked so hard to get here, a-and I messed it up” she says, already tearing up.  
I raise an eyebrow, wondering why she was so broken up about this, when I realized- this must have seemed bigger since in fighting games, when you die, that’s it. She must have thought that applied here too. I chuckle, and then burst out laughing- “Oh my god, you think it’s gone for good? I saved like just a few minutes before you started playing! You really need to stop freaking out about everything”  
Mikan sniffles again, looking back at me. “Y-You *hic* really mean it?” she asks. Playfully hugging my knees and leaning into them, I nod- “Yup. So ya don’t have to cry, kay?” I say, raising an eyebrow. She sniffles one more time, looking at me in disbelief, and then nods. We stay like this for a few moments, before I get impatient and lean back. “So, you gonna continue, or not?” I ask.  
Mikan snaps back to reality, and goes back to the laptop. “R-Right um- sorry!” she says, figuring out how to respawn and trying again. And then dying. And then trying again. And then- you get the picture. At this point i was lying on my stomach, head propped up by my hands. “Wow, you actually suck at this, don’t you?” I ask, smirking. Mikan, who had curled up into a ball in defeat, sniffled and nodded.  
“I d-don’t know why- Whenever I get into that battle, I panic a-and choose something, and t-then I die” she says, tearing up again. Even if she might eventually get it, I didn’t need her getting even lower self esteem yet- if that was even possible. “Aaaaalright, I think you’re not getting it. Maybe you’ll do better later” I say, taking the laptop away from her and putting it on my lap. “Or maybe you just need to watch some more” I say, leaning forward with a smirk.  
She thinks for a few moments, awkwardly shifting her weight as she does so. Mikan opens her mouth to say something, thinks over it and says “Um, if it’s really okay then- t-then I’d really like to watch you play!” she says, making a big deal out of it like usual. “Well then! We gonna switch places or not?” I ask. The both of us switch places once more, and I continue to play the game.  
It took me one try to beat the fight that Mikan was having trouble on- something that she sulked about for a bit. However, as I continued to play, that turned into wonder at what the game looked like, and its concepts. And where I thought the story was dumb, once she was brought up to speed, Mikan was completely entranced by it. A simple story about a man traveling the land to rescue the woman he loved: Really cliched, but I guess it had its audience.  
Before we knew it, it was time for lunch- about the one time of day I consistently ate. Once Mikan had pointed that out, I sighed- “Welp, guess we better go eat then before I starve heh” I say playfully, pausing the game. Mikan squirmed uncomfortable, and says “P-Please don’t joke about that” with a whimper. I shrug, exiting the game and closing my laptop- “Whatever! Let’s just go eat” I say, standing up and stretching. Sitting on the floor is fun, but it’s murder on your back.  
I turn to her, laptop still in hand- “So, are we gonna do this again or something?” I ask. Mikan jumps- “H-Huh?! What d-do you mean?” she asks, panicked and confused. I roll my eyes- “Well obviously, you liked watching this. If it’ll keep you from nagging me about eating then I’m willing to let you watch” I say, putting on my most shit-eating grin. Coming to the realization, Mikan’s confusion seems to grow- “You’d… r-really let me watch you again?” she asks, hope edging the question. I nod- “Eeeeeeyup! Just means you owe even more to me”  
Mikan tenses up a bit, stunned, before laughing- “Hmhmhm, um, okay!” she says, before realizing what she just did. “A-AH! Sorry! I d-didn’t mean to laugh it’s j-just that- um… n-nevermind!” she says, standing there awkwardly for a few moments, before taking a few steps back and going out the door. So she figured out that kind of lie, did she? I have to say, I’m impressed. Still amused by this, I put my laptop on the bed before following after Mikan to the cafeteria.  
Lunch goes as usual, and I head back to my dorm to waste time on my laptop. My members won’t be back until tomorrow, so I just do random things to deal with the boredom. Soon enough it’s past dinner time, and Mikan had come back. She seemed a little tense, and didn’t talk to me as she took a book off her desk. Things went on business as usual, and once again she fell asleep while I stayed up late into the night.  
Even I have my limits though, and at around 2 pm, I turn off my laptop and turn in for the night. I put the laptop on my nightstand, and get a quick glance out the window before leaning into my bed. However, in that quick glance, I saw a flash of something that shouldn't be there: bright red. Doing a double take, I look out once more, and see brunette twintails exiting the campus: Maki, exiting the campus.  
I stare at that spot out my window for a while, even long after Maki had left. Just what the hell was she doing going out this late? It’s like she was trying to make herself more suspicious.   
I wasn’t going to stalk her at night tough- the girl has a temper on her, and I was too tired to be bothered.  
But that doesn’t mean i’m not going to keep a closer eye on her from now on.


	14. Growing Friendships, Deepening Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am sorry that this chapter took so long to make, however from now on it should take much less time to make a chapter! But for the here and now, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I am rather happy with how it turned out!

Mikan’s POV:  
It was half past noon, and I had taken up my shift as a nurse. It was rather quiet today, and other than the people who needed to be given medication, nobody had come in. I suppose that’s technically a good thing, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely as I sat in my desk chair.  
I thought back to the few moments that I was in class today. The entire room had been filled with a tense atmosphere, though somewhat electric. That serial killer, the roses thorn: It had become a topic of gossip among the class. I could still remember it clearly, the way that others talked with fear yet intrigue. As it turns out, two more murders had been committed last night- one in the Tokyo prefecture, and another in Okayama prefecture. The bodies times of death were a mere half hour apart.  
As scary as the thought of someone like that being even close to our area, I attempted to get it out of my head and focus on my work- as scarce as that was today. I supposed the supplies could probably use some organizing, so for the time being, I could busy myself with that.  
I was able to do that for all of five minutes.  
I fidget with my hands for a few moments, before absentmindedly looking out the window. The sun was bright, hitting the leaves in just the right way to make them glow. It was just a quick glance, however in that glance a thought occurred to me- what if I took a walk outside? The fresh air may help my nerves…  
No , what was I thinking? It would be totally irresponsible to leave my post like that! If there was an emergency and I wasn’t there then it would be a catastrophe that was all my fault! And yet… as I now stood right in front of the window, the warmth of the sun was enticing.  
...I suppose if I left a note then…  
I felt terrible doing it, however I took out a piece of paper and wrote the words “Taking a break, will be walking around campus if you need me”. Then I put a piece of tape on it, and was about to post it on the door before… I go back in quickly, and write the word “sorry” on the paper just underneath. Feeling better about it, I finally place the paper on the door and leave my office.  
When I open the door and walk out for the first time, that warm feeling that I had felt at the window returned, though somehow even more inviting this time. This, along with the fresh air, calmed my nerves a bit. And so I start walking, taking in the campus. Since I’m normally holed up inside of my office, I never really got to take notice of the campus before- but now that I was walking around like this, I couldn’t help but admire just how beautiful it was. It was simple fields of grass with flowers scattered here and there, however it was beautiful, and framed the school well.  
As I walked around the campus, I eventually came across a large figure, dapperly dressed despite the lack of shoes. I recognized this as Gonta, the one I had met at the arcade- and he was walking right towards me with a smile on his face and a friendly wave. I froze up a bit, his bulky frame being intimidating beyond all imagination. He didn’t seem like he was mean when I first met him, however- well it was a force of habit at this point.  
“Hello! You Kokichi’s friend, Mikan, right?” he says softly, stopping right in front of me. Taking a small step back, I nod as my heart pounds a mile a minute. “Y-Yes, um, I w-was there at the um, arcade” I say, clutching at my nurses apron. Gonta was about to respond, when his face became troubled. “Um, is Mikan alright? Mikan look… nervous” he says. Noticing how antisocial and rude this must seem, I shake my head. “N-No I um… Sorry” I say, not having anything to explain my actions.  
“No need for Mikan to be sorry, it Gonta’s fault for scaring Mikan.” he says, looking a bit upset. “See, Gonta still scary to lot of people, and so Gonta want to try to change that but…” His face grew even more upset, and I started to panic- “But Gonta still need to work harder to become gentleman.” he says, becoming a bit more sure of himself.  
Whether it was because he never mentioned it at the time or I just didn’t notice, it was my first time noticing just how hard he tried to be a sort of… gentleman. From him wearing a suit despite lack of shoes, to the fact that he never seemed to get upset at me… well,so far, that is. “...Sorry” I say yet again. “Mikan really no need to apologize” says Gonta. I shake my head- “N-No, I made you think about that kind of stuff a-and made you sad and-” “Gonta no mind though”  
And there he went again, acting like it was no big deal. If this was any other person I would have been mocked or ridiculed or even worse but- “Why… d-do you keep saying it’s okay?” I ask, confused. This seems to have confused Gonta as well. “Why? Because… Mikan really not do anything wrong. Unless this just another thing Gonta not know about manners-” he says, becoming more upset when that last thought crossed his mind.   
I was about to open my mouth to tell him that I did do something wrong, when he opens his mouth first- “No… even if Mikan did do something wrong by other peoples standards, Gonta still no think Mikan do anything wrong- Gonta really don’t mind so… Mikan no need to say sorry” he says, happily grabbing the strap of his insect box with a bright smile on his face as he says so.  
I really really wanted to protest what Gonta was saying but… something told me that I wasn’t going to get anywhere by doing so. I suppose this was one time where I was just going to accept that… maybe they really weren’t upset with me. I hadn’t felt something like that since I met Ibuki…  
Once more I was reminded: the people at this school… they weren’t like the people back home. I was forgiven for almost everything that would have been seen as obscene back there- I wonder… if this is really so rare? No, no if I start thinking like that then I’ll just become lax and upset more people when I do go back. For now it’s best to assume that the people here are just… an anomaly.  
“So, why Mikan outside? Gonta don’t think Gonta ever see her out here before” he asks in a genuinely curious tone. “O-Oh um… that’s because I’m… n-normally in the nurse's office. B-But nothing was going on and I left a note so it’s okay, I p-promise!” I say, hoping that would be a good enough justification. “Oh, that why! Then, want Gonta to show Mikan around? Gonta outside plenty, so Gonta know it well!” he says, smiling proudly. With his sincere smile egging me on, I couldn’t help but say “Alright”  
With his already bright smile growing even brighter, he motions for me to follow him. I do so, and soon enough we’re at a part of the campus i’ve never seen before- I knew that there was an indoor garden, meant for the ultimate botanist: however, it seems that there was an outdoor one as well. And this one… the beauty of the indoor paled in comparison to how beautiful the outdoor looked. The natural rays of the sun hit the petals in such a way that a few of them seemed to sparkle: a way that the indoors could never replicate.  
“It’s so pretty” I say to myself in awe. Despite that fact, however, Gonta heard and made an offer- “Would Mikan like to walk in garden? Gonta been there many times, so know very many pretty flowers” he says, tone excited. I was rather surprised at this though. He had already offered to show me so much, and now he was offering more. “W-Would that really be okay?” I ask, not wanting to waste any of Gonta’s time. He nods enthusiastically, and I couldn’t help but smile as the both of us enter the practically sparkling garden.  
“And Gonta hear that these called ‘Lillies of the valley’” he says, pointing to a small, white, bell shaped flower. “They smell very nice!” he explains. In response to this, I bend down and smell the flowers- it’s just as Gonta had said. It was one of the sweetest floral scents I had ever known. I stood up, thoroughly happy. “This is amazing, t-thank you so much!” I say, my face having the widest smile that I had ever known up until now. To show my gratitude, I wanted to make an offer, however whenever I tried Gonta kept the both of us buzzing around the garden.  
This most recent time was no different, and Gonta immediately pointed to yet another section of the garden. “Up ahead is beautiful rose bush! Come on, follow Gonta!” he says, going towards the direction he pointed. I quickly followed along, ready to see the new part of the garden, when the both of us stopped in our tracks: we were no longer alone in here. This in itself wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for the person we were with.  
The boy in question had a rather odd mask with a zipper, and long black hair which touched his back. In fact, you wouldn’t even assume that he was a boy if it weren’t for his lenky figure, and deep voice. All of that culminated into a more than eerie atmosphere around the boy. I found myself subconsciously hiding behind Gonta, who greeted the boy warmly. “Oh, Kiyo! What you doing here?” he asks.   
Korekiyo Shinguji, who had yet to of noticed us, elegantly turned his head around to our direction. “Oh, Gonta and… someone new. How interesting” he says, fully facing us now. “If you must know, I am merely admiring the beauty of the garden. I find these roses in particular to be extremely beautiful. Their deep red, outside of these roses, is a highly underrated and misunderstood color. It evokes thoughts of blood, sure, but also thoughts of deep seeded love: Don’t you agree?”  
I found myself hiding behind Gonta even more, this time intentionally. As I did so though, I could feel Korekiyo’s yellow eyes following me. Gonta, however, didn’t pay much mind to this- “Um, Gonta suppose so. It is very pretty color” he says. I couldn’t see his face at the moment, however the was he was holding his insect box told me that he had one of those genuine smiles on his face. A few more moments pass, and Korekiyo seems to notice how tense the air is.   
“I apologize: it appears that I have frightened your friend. Mikan is your name, is it not?” he says, tone calm and somewhat curious. “I- h-how did you know my-” “You are the school nurse, yes? I would say any student who is capable of entering such a profession at such a young age is worth inquiring and learning about.” he says, answering my question before I could even finish saying it. I felt guilty since I think this was supposed to make me feel better but… I wound up hiding behind Gonta even more.  
“It appears that I have disturbed your time together. My apologies. If you don’t mind, I shall be taking my leave now” he says, before walking past us to where we had just came from. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, as I became painfully aware of just how much tension that situation had caused me to have. Gonta seemed to have taken it better though. “So, do Mikan want to look at roses?” he asks, smiling a bit.  
I couldn’t help but nod in response, smiling a bit myself.  
The rest of our visit to the garden was rather nice- however the encounter with Korekiyo stayed in my mind more than I’d like to admit. When it was over, I began to feel guilty about the length of time I had been away from my office. It couldn’t have been more than an hour, but that was enough time for me to let off the cramped feeling that had been nagging me in the office. Realizing this, I turn to Gonta-  
“Um, s-so… I should probably be getting back to my office now-” I say, unintentionally blurting it out. I suppose I was still worried about wanting to do something on my own. But Gonta didn’t mind at all! “Okay! It was great showing Mikan garden! Gonta hope we can do it again some time! Oh, or maybe Gonta can show you bug house!” he says, his eyes lighting up in excitement. Having a bit of a… bad history with bugs, I became a bit squeamish- “Um… m-maybe some other t-time” I say, a little bit panicked. Gonta nods in an understanding way, and I take a breath of relief. “Then see Mikan soon!” he says, smiling genuinely as he gave me a friendly wave. Mood once more lifting up again, I smile as I wave back and being heading to my office.  
Reaching the office, I take down the sign from my door and crumple it up, throwing it into a trash can at the entrance. The room was as empty as I left it, and nothing had moved an inch- I suppose taking that break really wasn’t anything too bad! Feeling that relief wash over me, I smile to myself as I sit back down in my chair. Everything really was okay… and I strengthened my friendship with somebody in the process! This really was one of the best days I’ve ever-  
Before I could even finish that thought, the door shot wide open, and in came Kokichi, dramatically covering his mouth. “Mikaaaaaaaaannnn I feel sick!” he calls out, seeming to gag for a few seconds before turning around and letting his body fall to the floor. Having already gotten up when the door slammed open, I make a dive for it and catch Kokichi just before his head hit the floor.  
There goes that sense of peace…

Kokichi’s POV:  
Class that day was boring. More boring than usual. Agonizingly boring. Maybe it was due to my higher expectations for suspicious behavior from Maki last night, but knowing that didn’t make how boring it was any lesser. If anything it just made it more frustrating- I knew she had to of done something, but she was acting like nothing abnormal happened last night at all. Well… it’s not like I didn’t know how to draw something out of a liar like her.  
It’s like I always say: If you want to expose a liar, then you have to corner them psychologically.  
My course of action decided, I listened in to the conversation she was having with, surprise surprise, Kaito. If I could get an easy to slip into moment to bring up her leaving campus last night, then it’ll catch her off guard while not exposing that I know anything to everyone else. Now to actually listen to whatever those two were actually talking about.  
“I’m telling you, one day I’m going to be the first man on Jupiter!” says Kaito, enthusiastically. Maki’s eyes lowered in what I can assume to be annoyance. “Isn’t Jupiter a gas giant?” she says, her tone of voice confirming my previous assumption. Caught, Kaito looks away, fumbling over his words and not willing to meet Maki in the eyes as he came up with an explanation. “Well I mean, that’s true but- I’m sure I’ll find a way to do it! I mean, leaving the Earth is mans dream, right?” he says. Bingo. That right there was my in. Who’d of thought it was from the dumbasses catchphrase.   
“Wellll” I start, leaning back in my chair a bit- “I wouldn’t say the Earth, but leaving this campus every once in a while would be nice! Wouldn’t you say, Maki?” I ask, looking her in the eyes. In return, she glares at me with that dark, icy glare people had come to know her for. It wasn’t her that responded though- “The hell are you talking about Kokichi? If you want to do that just do it. That has nothing to do with what we were talking about!” he half says, half shouts.  
I shrug and giggle- “Yeah, you’re right. Still, it’d be nice to leave the campus. Maybe in the middle of the night! Say, ‘round one in the morning? I hear Tokyo’s pretty alive at that hour” I say, giggling a bit as I glance at Maki. The girl looked like she was fuming on the inside, all of that culminating into her glare getting more and more intimidating. Kaito was pretty oblivious to this though.  
“Man you always say the weirdest stuff” says Kaito, sighing as he rubs the back of his head. “Anyways, Maki- waaAAAUG!”  
I had to hold in a laugh as Kaito finally noticed the expression Maki had on her face, catching him off guard and making him scream like a little kid. Thankfully, this brought Maki out of the rage filled trance she had from my little comments, as she was forced to pay attention to Kaito instead. “Nishihsi, geeze, I didn’t know Maki’s glare scared you that much Kaito~” I say teasingly, smirking. The purple haired idiot tried to play it off, but it didn’t take a genius like me to tell he was lying.  
“It d-didn’t scare me- besides, she was glaring at you, wasn’t she?” he says, getting defensive. Maki just sighs and rolls her eyes. “Awww, you’re so mean Kaito! Trying to pin the reason why you’re scared on me” I say, pouting like I was about to cry- crocodile tears were a specialty of mine, afterall. Everyone knew this though, so Kaito just rolled his eyes. “Whatever man. I wasn’t scared” he says, rubbing the back of his head.  
This fight was getting boring, so I drop it- “Yeah, well this is getting boring. Geeze, and I was just bringing up how I’d like to leave the campus” I say, summoning a fake tear to my eye. Once again this was written off, and I just merely shrug. And then I get an idea- “In fact, I’m so bored I think I’m getting sick! Owieee” I say, dramatically clutching my stomach. “Welp, I’m going to go see the nurse!” I say, instantly perking up and energetically making my way to the nurses office.  
It was obvious that Maki wasn’t going to budge, but her reaction was enough to tell me that her going out last night wasn’t something she wanted others to know. I would have loved to of pressed more, but I still want to keep my observation covert to avoid stalking becoming yet another item on the list of “why we hate Kokichi Ouma”. It wasn’t like they were going to do anything different anyways. She was acting business as usual. Whiiich was boring. So, I thought I might go somewhere new. Somewhere I’ve never been before.  
The nurse’s office.  
With my track record, you’d have thought I’d fake being sick a lot sooner. Honestly even I was surprised in myself that I hadn’t done such a thing in the past. Guess I never really had a reason to since I’d already met who run it. But after that day at the mall, I couldn’t help but have my intrigue in the girl be re-sparked. Some of my theories had been confirmed, but at the same time new questions popped up. So why not try to get answers to those and have fun doing so.  
Queue the scene of me bursting through pretending to have a stomach ache, and finally dramatically falling into Mikan’s arms.  
I have to admit, even for me it was especially dramatic. So much so that Mikan immediately placed me on a bed and looked for some kinda medicine or something. Not minding being doted on, I simply relaxed in the bed and watched Mikan buzz around a section of cabinets. I wasn’t prepared for what she came back with though-  
“O-Okay, I brought a stethoscope, some pain killers, and a r-really strong antiacid-” she says, taking my act seriously. Realizing just how much she bought into it, I sat up in bed and and schooched away a bit- “Woah, it was a lie-” I say, her actions catching me off guard. I actually hated taking medicine, so the thought of having to take some was enough for me to just drop the act all together.  
“Oh… it was just a lie” she says, putting it all down. She almost seemed disappointed, which was even more unnerving. Mikan takes the medicine, and puts it back into the cabinet. “So… um, if you aren’t sick… why did you come?” she asks. Letting my legs dangle over the edge of the bed, I shrug. “Well nothing was going on in class, so I thought I might as well see where you go every day!” I say, swinging my legs a bit.  
Some kind of realization clicked in her, and suddenly she was all smiles. “R-Really?” she asks. I nod. Her smile gets even wider as she brings over her desk chair near the bed I’m sitting on. “Um, so, was t-there anything you… w-wanted to do?” she asks, seeming a bit too eager. I could see where the rumours about the offers came from: she seemed a bit too eager to please.   
“Wellll… honestly class was just boring as hell” I say, giggling. “Soooo not really. Why, you got any ideas” I ask playfully. Mikan furrows her eyebrows, deep in thought. “O-Oh, I have something!” She says. I raise an eyebrow, intrigued, as the nurse fumbles with her apron and pulls out… a marker. It seemed pretty good so far, but then it quickly turned into… How do I put this…  
A shitstorm?  
“Please, draw on me!” she says, a serious smile on her face. For the second time since I had come into this room, I had been caught off guard. I guess I could call that a good thing, but at the moment I was a bit too preoccupied with her ridiculous offer- “Hmmmm.. Yeah no.” I say frankly. Mikan immediately retracts the pen, and I can just tell she’s going to apologize, so I stop her before she could. “Buuuut I wouldn’t mind drawing on some paper. Oh, or maybe the walls!” I suggest, bouncing a bit in childish excitement.  
Mikan seemed taken aback for a moment, but she nods and gets up to go to her desk- “Um, I c-can’t let you draw on the walls but-” she rummages around the desk a bit more before turning around with paper in hand. “Here!” she says, walking over and handing me some blank sheets of paper. “Thank you very much” I say, taking the paper and laying on the floor so I could have a hard surface to draw on.  
Honestly, I had no idea what to draw, so I scribbled random things that came to mind. Grape panta, a pair of dice, a poorly drawn portrait of myself: like I said, random things. So I was getting bored pretty quickly. I might as well chat a bit while I draw then- I mean it was kind of the point of coming here anyways.  
“Sooo… this is where you spend all day, huh?” I ask, mindlessly drawing a supercar. Mikan, who was now sitting in her desk chair again, nods. “Y-Yes. It isn't’ much but.. S-something about it is comforting” she says softly. I raise an eyebrow- “What could be so comforting about a place with tons of medicine and sick people?” I ask, part of me legitimately confused. Mikan has to think about it for a few moments.  
“I guess… ohhh you’ll hate me if I say it-” she says, suddenly getting really nervous. Intrigued, I lift my head up and raise an eyebrow. “Wellll we’ll never know if you don’t say it” I say, pushing her to tell what it is. Mikan fidgets with her hands, obviously conflicted about the matter. I was about to give up and drop it, when I hear a small “Alright” from Mikan.  
I fully sit up, going criss-cross applesauce. “So, what’s the deets?” I ask childishly. With even more nervous fidgeting from Mikan, she finally says it. “I… g-get… g-got? Beaten up at school and home a lot. Since nobody would treat my wounds when I got hurt, I h-had to do it myself, and eventually I just… g-got good at it.” she says. It wasn’t like it was totally unexpected, but it was a lot to take in- especially that “at home” bit.   
But that wasn’t where it ended.  
“But then one day, I r-realized something… sick people, and injured people… are weaker than me” she says. Before I could really properly take that one in, she continues- “B-Because, if you ignore a sick or injured person, they won’t be able to endure the pain! And if it’s bad e-enough, they could die! But… I k-know how to heal them… so they’ll listen to why I have to say… they’ll depend on me”  
It was a kind of messed up reason to become a nurse, I couldn’t deny- but something about it was also interesting. It was different than the usual “because I wanted to help people” reason I’d imagine most would give. At least she was being honest with herself on that front. I can at least give her credit for that.  
“Wow, you’re more selfish than I thought” I say, giggling a bit. Mikan visibly cringes at this, becoming upset. “I’m s-sorry- I shouldn’t have told you. Ohhh you probably hate me now. Um, m-maybe taki-” “Geeze let me finish” I say, interrupting her. She really knows how to let her imagination wander, huh?  
“That’s a good thing. Honestly I really hate it when people lie to themselves saying stuff like “I did it because I wanted to help people”! It just isn’t realistic. And I find it pretty interesting that you’re that honest with yourself” I say, rocking back and forth like a child. These words seemed to of calmed her down a bit, as she thinks on my words. “So… you… d-don’t hate me for thinking like that?” she asks. I shake my head- “Nope!”  
A wave of relief rushed over her face, and the atmosphere thankfully got lese tense. Though that did make me curious about something…  
“Hey Mikan” I start. “Why do you think everyone hates you? I mean, I’m me so I can be sure everybody does, but why do you think like that? I mean you don’t seem that bad” I say. From that incident at the mall, I felt like I got a sense of what could cause that kind of thinking, but it still didn’t seem like enough to make her assume everyone hates her. The question once more leaves the nurse silent in thought, though this time I knew better than to assume this meant she didn’t want to answer.  
“I guess because… i-it’s always been that way” she says. Intrigued, I raise an eyebrow, which prompts Mikan to continue. “Y-You see, whenever someone did something wrong… they would always get forgiven right away. But… whenever I did something wrong- w-whatever I did… it would never be forgiven… I would never be forgiven” she says, fidgeting with her hands in her lap.  
“Being here… is my first time not h-having that happen” she says, lifting her head up a bit. I thought she might have finally loosened up, when she becomes nervous once again. “T-This is my first time talking about my feelings like th-this with someone, so please- please… d-don’t hate me” she says quickly, clearly unsure of herself.  
“Nishishi, you really think I’d hate you over this?” I ask. “Geeze, you must have been around some grade-A assholes. I mean I can’t say I’m much better, but damn” I exclaim. An even bigger wave of relief washes over Mikan this time. “I… t-thank you for listening to me” she says, once more looking down at her fidgeting hands, which were still in her lap. “It’s… n-normally the other way around” she explains, giggling a bit.  
I giggle a bit too- “So what, was this your quota of being selfish for the day or something? Oh, right, I forgot- this entire job is a selfish thing for you” I tease. Mikan giggles a bit, but less than before. “I don’t know… b-but it was nice” she says, a genuine smile on her face. That was something pretty rare as far as I know, so it felt like an accomplishment to draw that out of the girl.  
“Welp, I gotta go run the world again!” I say, standing up and stretching. We both share a bit of a giggle, as Mikan now knew what that stood for. “Then um… I g-guess I’ll come back at the normal time” she says. I nod, and wave to her as I walk out the office. That was honestly a pretty good pick-me-up, I might visit more often.  
I head straight back to the dorm, getting onto my laptop like usual. When I do so, I immediately go onto the chatroom that my organization uses, and start chatting with them about the usual stuff: school, pranks, raids, and updates on what’s going on in the Tokyo area.  
I think I might be starting to get more comfortable with this. Who thought I might be happy at school?  
Heh, certainly anyone I know.


	15. Catalyst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Certain portions of this chapter, specifically Mikan's POV, contain upsetting scenes which include the following: physical violence, psychological manipulation, implied blackmail. If you are sensitive to any of these subjects then I highly suggest reading the following with caution.

**Kokichi’s POV:**

Yesterday’s prodding of Maki was fruitful: however, it still only confirmed that she was hiding secrets. Something I knew from the start. Well at least it was a place to start. I just had to keep track of everything she lies about.

Which just so happened to be almost everything.

These were some of my first thoughts as I woke up that morning, stretching a bit as I got out of bed. I had a long day of classes to ignore, and I was already a bit later than usual to breakfast. I could think about that stuff on the way there.

Strolling into the cafeteria, I’m greeted by the usual scene of annoyed faces at my entrance. I make my usual quips in return, and pick up some food at one of the stands. Honestly breakfasts were starting to get pretty boring with how predictable they were. I guess there were a few differences with each one though.

Breakfast turned into class, as that boring mess went on too. I sit in my seat, head in one hand as I tune out whatever the teacher was talking about at the moment. Shuichi was on my left, dutifully paying attention like usual. Meanwhile, I had Angie on my right. She was doodling something, but looking up every so often at the teacher.

I people watched the others around me, not putting too much stock into what the teacher was saying: until the sound of marker on the whiteboard brought my attention to what he was doing for a split second. That split second was all that was needed to keep my attention though, as the first word the teacher wrote was “Talent”

I sit up in my seat a bit, as they finish the phrase. “Talent showcase exam”. It was at this point that I start listening to what they were saying. “Alright class, listen up. The talent showcase exam is an event held by hope’s peak to evaluate your progress in improving your talent, and will determine whether you stay in the current course you’re placed in.”

The entire atmosphere sparks with intrigue, excitement, and anxiety. Our eyes shift from looking at the teacher, to looking at each other. There’s a roar of talking between everyone, before the teacher hushes us all. “I’m sure all of you have your questions, but _please_ , save them for after I finish explaining” he says, exasperated. Everyone quiets down and sits in anticipation.

“Good. Alright. So on a date, which has currently yet to be set due to certain reasons, everyone in this room will perform a feat of their talent on stage. This will be anything from showing off something you made, to performing something known to be difficult and technical. It will be up to you to figure out what your final project will be, however it will need to be approved by your teacher. This way nobody gets off too easy, and all presentations are… _apropriate_ ” he says, glaring at Miu. I snort a bit, and a few others in class snicker, as Miu shrinks into her seat a bit.

“However there are a few of you who have talents too abstract or explored to properly portray on stage. These will include more intellectual or social talents, which can be difficult to show in an attention grabbing fashion. For these people, the school will prepare a test of sorts to see just how well you do. Each test will be individualized and taken privately, watched over by Hope’s peak administrators” he states. “I will name those who fit this description within this class now. Shuichi Saihara, Kaito Momota, Kirumi Tojo, Kokichi Oma, and Maki Harukawa”

I perk up a bit at that last one, giving the girl in red a glance. I suppose child caregiver is a pretty abstract talent, but there’s also no denying the fact that them being private is pretty convenient if she’s lying about her talent. And I was almost one hundred percent sure she was. The school really was covering for her, wasn’t it?

The teacher continued to talk, and I decided to listen since I was interested. 

“Due to incidents in the past, security will be increased around the area’s in which tests are being held. I think this is dumb since other area’s are going to be left vunerable, but it’s not my place to tell” he says, grumbling in annoyance at that part. That really intrigued me, and the rest of his speech started to fade into the background. 

So other parts of the school would be left vulnerable, huh? I was with him on the fact it was stupid, since his words implied they were just shifting security, not getting more. If this was true, then someone could just… sneak into a room easier. I was going to have to investigate that a bit.

I tune back into the teachers words, and it seems like he’s almost finished. “...will be held within a few months. The exact date will be set after everyone’s projects have been decided on. Final project proposals will be due on the 22’nd, and personalized outlines for helping to choose everyone’s projects, minus those who have tests already set for them, will be handed out now” he says, putting down a sheet of paper he was reading from and picking up a different stack on his desk.

Miu was the first to break the intent silence as everyone looked over their papers. “Can’t make reference to indecent acts or functions?! The fuck is that even supposed to mean?!” she calls out. I pitch in- “It means you can’t act like the whore you are! Geeze that’s going to be difficult for you, huh?” I tease. I could see several people ready to call me out, when Miu acts like… well, how I described her. “W-Whore?! Haaa, someone c-called me a whore-”

Those people who were about to stick up for her promptly remembered who we were talking about, and backed down. I simply rolled my eyes and put my head back into my hand as everyone talked.

“I wonder what the tests are going to be like” I hear Shuichi say to himself, his face thoughtful. I perk up a bit “Wellll for you it might be some kind of old murder case! Or maybe they’ll do one of those escape rooms- oh oh or maybe they’ll-” “No no, that’s not what I’m talking about” he says. I raise an eyebrow.

“Ah, sorry for interrupting it’s just… well I’m having a difficult time thinking about what kind of test someone might give for some of these talents. Specifically… yours. Though I guess your talent in general is… confusing” Shuichi says, appearing to be thinking aloud. I had to admit though, I was kind of curious about this too. “Hmmm. Well supreme leader certainly fits the definition of an abstract talent!” I say.

Shuichi simply nods in agreement. “Maybe it’s just something to test leadership skills then… if so I imagine that Sonia will have something similar” Shuichi points out. I simply laugh in return “Oooo or maybe I’ll get to torture someone! Y’know, since I run an _evil_ organization, not a kingdom” I say. Shuichi gets a nervous look on his face- “I uh, don’t think that’s something the school would condone. Besides, your talent would include you being evil in the title if that was really the- ah, never mind”

I raise an eyebrow, curious as to where Shuichi would have gone with that. “Well I guess we’ll just have to find out when the time comes!” I say, shifting in my seat a bit. Shuichi nervously laughs once again. “I uh, guess we will”

The rest of class goes on as normal, other than the talking about the talent showcase. Everyone splits into their normal social groups, and I observe everybody as they do so. Once again though, nothing of too much note happens, and I’m left with an overwhelming sense of boredom.

Fed up with said boredom, I exit the room soon after Maki does, figuring that whatever happens at that point is in Kaito’s hands. I go back to my dorm and get on my laptop, Mikan still probably at her shift in the nurse’s office. Getting onto the chatroom my group uses, I meet up with my second in command.

 

_CrEpyCln is Online_

 

CrEpyCln: Yo boss! What’s new?

 

Me: Welll it seems  like the school’s holding a talent showcase. The security around the school is going to be weakened, so I’m thinking of trying to pull something- Don’t know what yet though

 

CrEpyCln: Huh, really? Cool! We’ve actually got some intelligence on our end too, if you’re interested

 

Me: Why yes I am. Tell! Your leader demands it!

 

CrEpyCln: Okay okay, listen to this. This is going to be our biggest crime yet if what we heard is true

 

Me: What is iiiiiitttttt

 

CrEpyCln: Okay, so there’s this CEO, right? Well word on the street is that he has cash- physical cash- hoarded in a safe somewhere. We’re talking thousands here.

 

CrEpyCln: Now according to our sources, the money is dirty: Pillaged off the backs of workers, or even extorted via threats of violence. The story isn’t totally there, but the general idea is that it’s money he doesn’t deserve

 

Me: So what’s the game plan? It doesn’t sound like this is exactly an easy job

 

CrEpyCln: Well that’s the thing. It would take a lot of time to figure out how to get past security and into the safe quickly. But we’d be teaching the bastard a real lesson if we do this

 

I think for a moment. On one hand, it’s risky. Really risky. I wouldn’t get much say in how we do this since I don’t have much time to talk to them day to day, so I would have to have faith that they can pull this off on their own. That they can do this without my being there to help plan it. If something happened…

…

…

…

 

Me: Go for it. He sounds like just the kind of step up we need

 

CrEpyCln: Got it boss! I knew you’d be all for it!

 

Me: But of course- I am the best evil supreme leader ever, afterall

 

CrEpyCln: hah, yeah you are

 

CrEpyCln: I think I’m going to cut this short- I’m pretty excited about this and already getting ideas on how we can pull it off!

 

Me: awww okay. Well good luck planning for evil!

 

CrEpyCln: Thanks! See ya!  
  
_CrEpyCln is Offline_

 

I sigh a bit, closing the chatroom, thinking for a moment, and then closing the browser all together. With the conversation over so soon, I had to fall back to what I planned to do next much sooner than I would have liked. I open up a game and begin playing mindlessly. It was a pretty simple one, so time passed away as I completed repetitive quests and played repetitive mechanics.

It soon became late- I had missed dinner again. I became aware of this when I casually looked at the clock, noting it was 9 P.M. already. I shrug it off, before it makes me realize one other fact.

Mikan hadn’t returned to the dorm yet.

Becoming more and more aware of this fact, I sit up in bed a bit, paying less and less attention to the actual game itself. Mikan had always been back slightly before or at dinner time, dropping off a thing or two in the process. This made it stranger still that she still wasn’t here.

As if aware that I had finally noticed this, I hear a clicking at the door as Mikan unlocks the dorm room, and walks in. Something about her overall appearance seemed different, but at that point in time I couldn’t figure out just what it was. Interested in her reason for being out so late, I close my laptop and sit up a bit more. “Soooo where were yooouuu” I ask

Mikan tenses up, and I can tell immediately that _something_ is up. She fumbled over her explanation for a few moments, stuttering up a storm in the process. Eventually she manages to say “O-Outside of the campus-”

This piques my interest even more. “Oh, outside of campus eh? What were you doing there?” I ask. She tenses up even more, and looks at the floor for a bit, taking her time with her answer. Again, the way she was acting was telling me something was up. There was something that she didn’t want to say. A few more moments of fidgeting lead up to her saying “At a hospital”

I raise an eyebrow, and she scurries to explain. “Y-You see, with the talent showcase, I um, w-wanted to sharpen up my nursing skills- I had gotten an offer to intern as a nurse anytime from a hospital not too far from here, and um… I f-finally decided to take them up on it” she stutters. 

That was… weird.

“Well alrighty then!” I say, brushing it off. “Is this like a one time thing oorrrr” she stiffens once again. “Ah no um, I’m… g-g-g-going to… be doing this once every two weeks,” she says, trailing off at that last part. Again my bullshit alarm was going off, but I keep that to myself.

“Kay kay! At least that’s all it was. Y’know I was sooooo worried when I realized you were gone! The thought of something bad happening to my dear roommate- I nearly started _*sniff*_ crying!” I say. This makes Mikan cringe even more, but she sticks with the story. “I’m sorry- I’m s-so sorry!” she says, seeming a bit more worked up about it than usual.

She was acting suspicious for sure.

“Well you’re here now so it’s okay I guess. You don’t need to apologize” I say, opening up my laptop once more and trying to seem disinterested in the entire thing. Mikan simply nods, breath hitching a bit from what I assume to be an attempt to hold back tears.

From there we stay in silence, going back to something similar to what our normal nightly routine is. I unpause my game, continuing to play it. Mikan opens up the book she had been reading recently, and reads it. However, she soon puts it down, and turns over to sleep much sooner than she normally would.

Something was definitely off with Mikan’s story, that was for sure. If she was lying about anything, it would be where she was. The reason she would do so is beyond me though, and it wasn’t really my business to pry. It was odd though. The thought that someone who, up until this point, had been honest with herself and the people around her, would lie. It certainly did make me more curious as to why she would do so. I couldn’t help but imagine a few alternate scenarios.

Some of them weren’t that pleasant.

But, as I said, not my place. Who am I to take away someone’s lies…

  


**Mikan’s POV** :

I wave goodbye to my classmates, my shift as a nurse starting. The teacher had just explained that we were to take part in some kind of… talent showcase. I was one of the few students who had too ambiguous a talent to show off on stage, so apparently I was going to be given a school administered test. It was nerve wracking but… kind of exciting at the same time!

Finally at the door to the nurses office, I pull the key out of my bag, only to hear someone shouting my name. “Miss Tsumiki! Would you please come with me? We have a situation at the gates, and there are two boys saying that they know you. Would you mind coming with me to confirm this?” says one of the security guards, tone friendly but stern.

Getting over my initial surprise of having my name called out of the blue like that, I nod. “Um, okay” I say softly, as the guard nods and leads me to the front gates. Throughout the entire walk, my mind was racing as to who could possibly be there. I didn’t know too many people outside of hopes peak currently, and nobody back home would come all this way to see me…

Unless…

With an image starting to form in my mind as to who was at the gate, I start getting more and more anxious the more we walk. The gate comes into view, and we were getting closer and closer by the second. The closer we got the more my stomach dropped. And when I saw who was there, it was like rocks were weighed all over my body.

It was them. The two I had been afraid it would be

Daiki and Genzo.

“Yo, Mikan! You’re finally here! Genzo and I were just telling these two idiots that we know you! They won’t believe us though- crazy, right?” he says, acting as energetic and outwardly friendly as ever. Genzo just looked to the side, seeming to be on edge as there was an icy glare on his face. Getting annoyed with my lack of an answer, Daiki raises his voice a bit.  “Right, Mikan?” he says. I hear the guard who had escorted me here walk away from the gate.

Panicking a bit, I nod- “A-Ah, yes, I know them- I do!” I say frantically without thinking. Daiki laughs a bit- “See? Told ya!” he says, smiling triumphantly at the guards. One of them raises an eyebrow, but sighs. “Alright, so you know her. What are you even here for though?” he says, a grumble in his voice. Daiki laughs some more, scratching the back of his head. “Well you see, our school gives Tuesdays off believe it or not! So since the courses here are so lax, we thought we’d go and hang out with our old friend!” he says. I caught the lie right away, but my contradiction gets caught in my throat as I look him in the eye. On the outside it was friendly, but I recognized it for what it was: a threat. A threat of something bad happening if I didn’t play along.

The Guard shrugs. “She can go if she wants to. Do whatever” he says, walking away to a guard station that was a few yards away. I pry my eyes away from the station, and look back nervously at the two boys. Daiki’s smile had widened, and Genzo had finally turned to face me. “Sooo, you’re coming, right?” he asks, a smug look on his face as he stuffs one of his hands into a pocket. I squirm a bit, fiddling with my school bag as once more the words get caught in my throat. 

“Hey, you know what will happen if you say no, right?” barks Genzo, making me wince. I nod slowly, and let out a barely audible “Y-Yes”, much to their delight. Daiki puts an arm around my shoulder, beginning to walk me out of the gates. “Good, good- for a second there I thought we might of had to do something uh, not so friendly...” He says, squeezing my shoulder a bit. I let out a nervous laugh, trying my best not to show how afraid I was.

When we were a good ways away from the gates entrance, Daiki let go of my shoulders. I give myself a little bit of space from him as he and Genzo start talking to each other. “So where to this time?” Asks Daiki. “I mean the mall’s always awesome, but we probably shouldn’t be in a populated area now that Mikan here is with us” he says, almost as if I couldn’t hear every single word he said. Genzo speaks next, his voice almost emotionless. “That playground. Nobodies ever there” he suggests. Daiki considers it for a moment, going silent as he does so.

“Well, the gate will be difficult to get over- but I guess that’s the point of it, isn’t it?” says Daiki, laughing. Genzo nods, a smirk on his face. “Yeah. Don’t think we could do what we do if it wasn’t private. Tch, bunch of bastards... “ he says, staring at the ground bitterly. I walk a bit behind them, so as to try and make them pay as little attention to me as possible. This works, as they continue to make idle chatter.

“So what are we even gonna do there? I mean it was abandoned for a reason” asks Daiki. Genzo shrugs in response. “I dunno. Maybe call everyone up? Show off our new miss ‘Ultimate Nurse’” he says, giving a cold chuckle. Daiki chuckles as well in response, turning around for a second to face me. “Sooo what do ya think? Wanna see everybody again?” he asks, waving his phone around with a smirk. I freeze up, gulping out of nervousness. “W-Well I-”

“Greaaaat then it’s decided!” says Daiki, whipping around and fiddling with its keyboard. While he does that, I see Genzo look over his shoulder, and give me a little smirk before facing forward again. I gulp back anxiety, nervous as to just what was going to happen. As far as I knew, nobody from my old school liked me very much except for these two. And even then…

We made it to the fence that surrounded the park, the street feeling almost constricting with how empty it was. Despite the distinct lack of people, there was a single car parked just by the curb, its owners already outside. Daiki chuckles a bit. “Looks like they beat us to it. Man we gotta get a car or something” he says, starting to climb the fence. Genzo follows, and  soon both of them are over the fence. They look at me expectantly.

I gulp and climb over the fence as well. 

“Right, let’s go then! They should be over by the swings, right?” asks Daiki energetically. With a stoic nod, Genzo confirms this, and we begin walking in that direction. I fidget with my bags strap anxiously, nervous to see everyone again. The walk couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, but each second felt agonizingly long. Like the world was trying to torture me with the anticipation and suspense. Like it was trying to make my nerves even worse with every step. And the worst part was that’s exactly what was happening. 

Finally, _finally_ , after what felt like hours, we find the swings, as well as our other classmates. Well, former classmates for me. Four boys and three girls. Each of their faces familiar. “Dude, what took you so long?” asks one of the boys in an irritated, but excited voice. “Well let’s see here. We had to walk. You guys got to drive. I’d say we made pretty good time considering. And hell, you coulda afforded to give us a lift” says Daiki, smirking. The boy chuckles. “Ahh I guess you’re right. More importantly….” he says, trailing off and looking in my direction.

“Sooo you’re a big shot ultimate now, huh?” he asks, tone sickly sweet. Mocking. I swallow nervously, nodding. “Um, y-yes… The… Ultimate Nurse” I say softly. The boy chuckles a bit, and everyone looks around at each other in a sort of sadistic glee. “Wow, then you _really_ must be good at treating wounds if you’re granted such an _amazing_ title. No wonder you always healed so fast as a kid.” 

Everyone chuckles at that, and then one of the girls eyes go wide with realization. “Oh my god… You kept that _shitty_ _ass hairstyle_ we gave you- you seriously don’t give a shit about your looks at all, do you?” she laughs, pointing at my choppy hair. I shrink into myself, self consciously playing with my hair as I do so. Everyone laughs even more, and starts to circle around me. I take a step back, only to bump into the other girl that was there, whimpering as I do so.

“Geeze, watch it you fucking whore! You could have hurt me!” she claims, pushing me forward. “I’m s-sorry I-” “Oh look guys- it’s her favorite pair of words. I’m sorry. Hmmm… what do you think? Should we forgive her?” asks one of the guys. He makes an overdramatic face of thought, while others around him snicker. I hear one of them give out a drawn out “nah”, and the others make sounds of agreement. They start closing around me. Closer and closer. I felt claustrophobic. And then…

A hit to my stomach sent me to the ground, my lungs struggling for air as the blow took the wind out of me.

The rest of what happened almost felt like a daze… like it was all blended together. Assorted pain in my back, shoulders, and legs kept me aware of the situation, however hazy everything got. I kept flinching, my body still aware enough to anticipate the hits. It hurt. It hurt so much. I could feel the simultaneously cold, yet hot tears running down my face. I wanted them to stop. I wanted someone- something to make them stop. However a hit to my head disorientates my thoughts further, as the haze takes over.

It took me a few minutes after that to realize that fresh pain had stopped, leaving only the aches of the previous blows. I stayed motionless on the ground, letting it all sink in as I regained my breath. After doing so, I became vaguely aware of the distant sounds of voices. Latching onto those sounds as a way to stay conscious, I do my best to try and listen to the conversation.

“I still couldn’t believe it when you told us that little bitch was going to fucking hopes peak.” says one of them bitterly. One of them grunts in agreement. “Yeah, same. And you said she was warming up to other ultimates, right? Fucking hell who does she think she is?” asks another. “Not only that, the little shit actually got her to stay with them. It’s like she was too good for us. I’m telling you all this being an ultimate nonsense is getting to her head” I hear one of them say, which I then realize must have been Daiki.

“Still… doing this kind of stuff again… man it feels great” I hear Genzo say coldly. I couldn’t see his face at the time, however from his tone of voice I could just tell he was giving one of his bone chilling smiles.  Actually… at that point in time I couldn’t see much of anything. It was all kind of blurry… but just thinking about that smile… made my skin crawl.

Pushing that awful thought out my head, I go back to listening in. 

“Yeah, seriously there’s something so cathartic about taking out your rage on something. We seriously gotta do it more often, schools been stressing me the fuck out” I hear someone say. Others make sounds of agreement, and what they suggest next makes my stomach drop.

“Well then, why _don’t_ we do it more often? I mean it’s not like the little bitch’s gonna say no. What’s she gonna do, just ignore us while we release the dirt on her? She knows what would happen.” says Genzo. There’s a small silence from everyone, as one of the girls speaks up. “Y’know, as much as I hate the bitch, I still don’t know how I feel about you holding something like that over her. Like, isn’t that sort of a shitty thing to do, even for us? I just don’t know if I like how this kind of thinking will translate to you guys later on in li-”

“Why the fuck are you being a buzzkill? What, do you actually give a shit about her?” asks Daiki. “Wha- no, of course not! All i’m saying is that this is fucked up-” someone cuts her off. “It’s _always_ been fucked up. And quite frankly, if this is what it takes to get this kind of stress relief, I’m okay with it” he says. There’s silence for a few moments, before the girl concedes. “Yeah… yeah. Okay. I get it” she says. I hear someone give her a clap on the back. “Good. We’re all in this together, right? No snitchin?” they say. I hear a sigh, and I assume the girl nods. “Alright, then that’s that.”

It was at this point that I began to stir, gently lifting myself up. This catches their attention, and I hear Daiki gently say the word “Shit” under his breath. One of the other boys speaks up. “Fuck dude I thought she was knocked out-” he says. I hear footsteps come my way, and I freeze up. Genzo kneeled down to me, pulling my hair so that I would look him in the eye. “So, how long were you awake?” he asks coldly, making my throat go tight with anxiety. “I- n-not ver-” he cuts me off.

“LIAR. You heard the entire thing, didn’t you? Well here’s a reality check. Nobody here, is _ever_ , going to give you any ounce of fucking sympathy. So any delusions you have in your head? Forget them. Now.” he says. Whimpering, with tears in my eyes, I nod. Genzo glares at me for a few more moments, before letting go of my hair and standing up. My head crashes into the ground, the impact softened by the fallen leaves. I lift my head up a bit more to see that they were all leaving. I hold out a hand, trying to get one of them to look back- to take them with me. To not leave me here… but nobody did.

I turn over on my back after that, letting the pain of everything settle. Letting my thoughts collect themselves. I don’t know how long I layed there- once more, everything became a haze. Everything ached. That was all it felt like I could focus on. Just how much it ached. How much it _hurt_. I was probably crying for a while too… for what felt like hours. Everything just felt so slow yet so fast at the same time. 

I only became aware of how much time had passed when I saw a hint of orange in the sky. The realization sent adrenaline through my veins, as it dawned on me just how long I was gone. I scramble to sit up, wincing in pain as I do so. It was at that point I noticed a few scrapes on my legs. The leaves that were in my hair. I open up my school bag, which just so happened to be filled to the brim with medical supplies, acting as a make shift emergency kit.

The sting of the antiseptic made me a bit more aware, as I began to regret not getting up and treating the wounds sooner. I could only hope that they wouldn’t get infected at this point… but I couldn’t think about that right now. I quickly bandage the cuts up, testing my leg by bending it. Nothing seemed broken, so I could probably walk back to hopes peak…

But…

Not like this. Not so… so disheveled. I close my school bag, leaving out only a bottle of water. From there, I pick the leaves out of my hair, and do a quick finger combing to try and make it as presentable as possible. I then take the waterbottle, and clean up all the dirt on my arms and legs. Once that’s done, I also pour some on my face… just in case. I then place the bottle back into my school bag, and finally straighten out my uniform. Bruises weren’t visible yet so… I would have to deal with that tomorrow.

And from there… I walk. I walk and walk, back to hopes peak. Back to the place where I probably should have stayed this entire time. It was long, and at the end of it I felt absolutely exhausted. But I make it through the gates. Through the long walkway to get into the building. Up the stairs, where the dorms were. Where a warm bed was… were some semblance of safety was. Those thoughts drove me forward as I opened the door…

To find Kokichi waiting for me.

I felt horrible lying to him- I really really did! If I could have just…. Just said everything that happened right then and there, I would have. But when I thought back to everything… to what they had on me… I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And more than that, I couldn’t bring myself to be so selfish as to make him possibly worry about me… if that was… something that he possibly had the capacity to do. So I try to shut down the conversation as quickly as possible, telling a partial lie about an internship at a hospital. It was true a hospital had offered me an internship as a nurse, however I never took it… who knew it would come in handy now.

As the conversation ends, I find myself falling into my usual routine for this time of night. I pull the book i’ve been reading off my bookshelf, and curl up in bed to try to read it. But no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t get myself to make any process. It was like my mind had a physical barrier, stopping me from thinking about anything else other than the aching that still lingered in my leg. I got tired of it, so I just… put the book down, pulled up the covers, and tried to sleep.

It was then, right then, when I closed my eyes, I became aware of just how tired I was. So… so very tired…

I fall asleep in minutes. And nothing could have woken me from my sleep that night.


	16. Here in the Garden

**Kokichi’s POV** :

I find myself in a familiar situation once more: being deathly bored in class. Only a whisper of the excitement from yesterday remained in the air, as everyone who was intent on being here gave all of their attention to the teacher. I was the polar opposite to that, my head planted firmly in one hand as I stare dully at the door.

I begin to tune out the rest of the class, as my thoughts engulf my world for a moment. My mind floats from subject to subject, ranging from possible things to do later today, to pranks that I can instruct my group to perform while I’m away. Thinking about my group brought my thoughts around to the events of yesterday, and that heist that number 2 had mentioned. And thinking about the events of yesterday had me thinking about…

How oddly Mikan had been acting.

At the time my initial thoughts were that of “who am I to take away somebody's lies”, but I’d be lying to myself if I said that I wasn’t at the very least interested in finding out. I mean whatever happened had her shaken to the core. Now, maybe she was telling the truth: Maybe she really did just attend an internship at a hospital, and maybe she saw something there that shook her up. But little ticks in her body language that I still remembered lead me to believe otherwise. Such a jumpy person being scared easily isn't all that surprising: However, someone as seemingly truthful as her lying for any reason was all too intriguing.

I wind up becoming fixated on this idea, the more thought put into it the more it sucks me in. It wouldn’t hurt to give our local nurse a visit now, would it? Nah, it wouldn’t. So I decided that once more, I would walk out of the classroom in search of the nurse’s office. I’m sure it was late enough in the morning that she would be there by now. And the open door when I got there seemed to support that theory. So thinking of an ailment to use as an excuse, I open the door prepared to ham it up and-

“...where is she?” I wonder to myself. When she wasn’t in the nurse’s office, Mikan usually had the door locked thanks to  all the medicines in there. So being able to walk in, and not find her? It was odd. But maybe she was just out for a moment, and forgot to lock it. She’s certainly clumsy enough to do that. So I further walk in with the intent of sitting down to wait for her. But as I walked in, I noticed yet another odd thing: a trash can, placed just beside one of the beds. And the bed itself seemed to have a bottle of some kind of… well it looked like antiseptic.

My curiosity piqued, I look inside the trash can. 

“Bandages…?” I say aloud, piecing together these parts of information. That was all that was inside the trash can. Used bandages… really used. With that question answered, albeit only raising more questions, I go to a chair to sit and wait for Mikan to come back, and look around the room, bored. Other than that one bed, there wasn’t much to look at in the office. Just simple and standard medical supplies, accompanied by a refrigerator. I was starting to think that coming here wasn’t worth it.

Funny thing though, the way timing works. Just as I began to think that, Mikan walked into the room. She seemed to be pretty cautious as she did so, meaning that the unlocked door was probably an accident. When she finally notices I was already in the room, she screams. “K-Kokichi?! What- w-what are you doing here?!” she asks. That was my queue to start the show.

I stand up, sniffling and rubbing my nose. “I think I’m siiick. Everything hurts, a-and I’ve been * _cough_ * coughing n-non stoooop” I say, putting on the waterworks for some added effect. Mikan begins to freak out, doing her normal fussing. She starts to ramble about stuff that she needs to get, and instructs me to sit on one of the beds. I do so, and observe her as she gets supplies to check my condition. She really does have an entirely different persona when she’s taking care of somebody, doesn’t she? But then I notice something…

Mikan was wearing more bandages than usual. So then, it’d be safe to assume that…

“Hey, Mikan * _sniff_ *. Did you change your look recently?” I ask, curious as to what her answer would be. She seems to tense up, fiddling with whatever was in her hand. “N-No- we um, don’t see each other t-that often… maybe you j-just only now noticed something?” she says, turning around with a thermometer. I resist the urge to make a face of pure disbelief, figuring now wasn’t the best time. “Yeah, * _cough_ * must be” 

Mikan performs her inspection, and I wait through it. She finishes by putting the thermometer in my mouth. When she takes it out, she frowns. “Um… I d-don’t want to accuse you of a-anything but… you were… lying when you said you were sick, w-weren’t you?” she says. I perk up, finally dropping the act. “Yup! Geeze, I was expecting you to realize that sooner, nishishi!” Mikan cringes a bit as I say that. “S-Sorry- my m-minds been um… a bit out of sorts today,” she says, fiddling with her hands. “Hah- Yeah, I can see that” I respond, prompting Mikan to cringe once more.

“Hey Mikan, mind telling me why that may be?” I ask, slyly placing my head in my hands. Once more she tenses up, the subject obviously being sore for her. She nervously fumbles with her hands some more, the gears turning in her head practically audible. After a few seconds passed, which felt more like minutes, she finally responds. 

“I’m sorry… I r-really am but I… can’t say” she says softly, tugging at those all too familiar bandages on her arm. Her face itself was almost like an admission of guilt: something bad had indeed happened to her. I would have pried more, but something about the look on her face told me she thought she had already said too much. As much of a bummer as it was, I wouldn’t get much farther with this line of questioning without making her trust me a bit more. “Ah well, that’s a shame” I say complacently, heaving an overdramatic sigh. I then stretch my back a bit. “WELP! I think I’m going to hang out here for a bit” I say, leaning back on the bed I was sitting on. Mikan looks like she wants to say something, but timidly nods her head, only saying “O-Okay” in response.

I smile wide in response, before closing my eyes and just thinking to myself. While very little, the conversation that just happened did divulge some food for thought. First off- something was definitely up with Mikan, more so than usual. If I had to guess, it was most likely something in her past caught up with her- and based off my last time in this office, that definitely wasn’t a good thing. It would explain the bandages though. So the next question was: what do I do with this knowledge.

If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure about that part. I mean all I had was inferences based off evidence that could be explained away. And even if I was right, I still don’t really know the full situation. Whatever, I guess it wasn’t really my place anyways. It would just be a bother to dig deeper than that…

The situation struck a chord with me, though. It was an all too familiar and nauseating realization that others were abusing their power. I had come to this realization at several points in my life, and each time had been compelled to do something about it. So maybe that was why I was so stuck on this. I mean I stuck with all the other times this kind of situation reared its ugly head.

“Um, K...Kokichi? I think that I’m… going to head out for a bit. I’m g-going to have to lock the door so um- since you aren’t r-really sick…” Mikan says softly. Getting what she was trying to say, I sit up a stretch. “Alrighty then, I’ll get out of your hair. What are ya doing though?” I ask, genuinely curious. “Um… the garden. I was there the other day and… i-it’s really nice” she says, wringing her hands nervously.

“Mind if I go with you?” I ask in the moment. Mikan seems shocked for a second. “Wha- you’d… really want to go?” she asks apprehensively. Shrugging, I nod. “Why not. I don’t wanna go to class cuz that’s boring, and being on my own is pretty boring too. I have nothing better to do” I say nonchalantly. Those words seemed to bring a smile to Mikan’s lips though. “Then um… p-please! I would… enjoy the company” she says softly. I jump off the bed. “Then what are we waiting for- oh, and, don’t forget to lock the door this time” I say, snickering. 

Mikan laughs nervously at that, and the two of us head out of the room, Mikan locking the door behind us and placing a notice sign she had made last minute on it. When we finally make it to the garden, she takes in a deep breath. She was looking a lot more relaxed already, a small smile stretched on her face as she walks in. I follow, taking a look around. This was the first time I had ever been to the outdoor garden, and I had to say: I was impressed. Whoever was doing the upkeep around this place must have been an ultimate, because I don’t think I’d ever seen one quite this intricate before. Then again, I haven’t been to many gardens period. Mikan seemed to be in her own little world as she looked at all the different flowers, while I kind of just aimlessly wandered about. 

“So, you really like this place, huh?” I ask, walking around a rather pretty bush of purple flowers. Mikan’s head perks up from above the bush she was inspecting. “Huh? I um… g-guess I do… Gonta showed it to me last time I went out” she says softly. I gasp, pretending to be offended. “You and Gonta hung out… without _me_?” I ask, bringing crocodile tears to my eyes. Mikan panics, standing up straight and waving her hands around. “Y-Yes but it wasn’t p-planned or anything I swear- we didn’t mean to leave you out-” she says hurriedly.

“Man, you’re really bad at recognizing lies, huh?” I ask, chuckling a bit. Mikan blinked in astonishment for a few moments, mouth agape in shock. “You… w-were lying?” she asks cautiously. I shrug, laughing “Maybe, maybe not. Why don’t you figure it out for yourself?” I ask. Mikan looks at me for a moment, contemplating her next words. After fiddling with her hands for what felt like forever, she finally opens her mouth.

“Why… do you lie so much? Ah um- i-it’s not like I mind it- really, I don’t- but… it… doesn’t m-make sense to me…” she says in a soft voice. 

Well, it’s not like I could have expected the question would never come up. I mean I’m aware that it’s not “normal” behavior. Still, it caught me a bit off guard, and I wasn’t too keen on answering it. But it also wouldn’t do to let the question hang in the air like this.   
“Well, I need to have some secrets, don’t I?” I say, answering her question with one of my own. Mikan’s expression grows frustrated, as my response seemed to only confuse her more. “B-But it’s like- your entire life is a secret. Doesn’t that… get lonely?” she asks. I stay silent for a moment, thinking the question over. “So? Better lonely than hurt, right?” I ask. And then I remember who I was talking to. “Though I guess that isn’t something that makes much sense to you, huh?”

Mikan shakes her head. “No… it… d-doesn’t” she says softly, shrinking into herself. I shrug. “Difference of opinions I guess. I mean we’re both still living so it’s working out for us” I say, walking over to a patch of white, delicate flowers. “I g-guess that’s true… I just… can’t imagine not wanting to be open with other people” she says, her voice silent and pensive. I laugh a bit- “Hey don’t act like you’re entirely open with others either- I mean you still won’t tell me what’s been troubling you since last night” I shoot back. Mikan wilts, realizing part of her hypocrisy. “That’s… true… maybe we should just drop this” she says, walking over to a bush that seemed to have a kind of berry on it. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” I say, moving onto a new plant as well.

From there, we observed the garden in silence. There were four different sections of the garden, each housing different types of plants, so Mikan and I moved from the first to the second once we finished the one we started in. As time passed, the tension that hung in the air from the previous conversation lifted a bit, and the both of us started to enjoy ourselves a bit more. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Mikan smile as she delicately cups a pink flower in her hands. Though I had seen it before, it was still a rare sight to see the nurse so at peace in any situation. When she was, she had a kind of glow about her, as cheesy as that sounds. Part of me wished she was like this more often.

“Soooo, you mentioned you’ve been here before with that teddy bear Gonta. What was that like?” I ask, trying to start up some kind of conversation. Mikan had been in her own little world at the time it seems, because she startles at my voice. “H-Huh? Well um… I guess it was… much like this. I don’t think it gets a lot of visitors, because it was p-pretty empty that day too… except for…” Mikan trails off. I raise an eyebrow and look back at her, intrigued. “Except fooooor?” I ask, egging her on.

“Um… w-well there was one other person there… I think his name was… Korekiyo. I know it’s r-really rude but- he…. Really unsettled me” she says, wringing her hands nervously. “Oh heeey I know him! Yeah, he’s totally creepy” I say, fully turning so I could have a conversation with the girl across from me, who looked highly relieved. “So it wasn’t just me? I’m… happy about that but… I just- I don’t know why I got so unnerved by him” she explains. I shrug “I mean he’s stated a couple of times in class that he’s aware of how creepy he is, so I don’t think he really cares, if that makes you feel any better about it” I say. Mikan is silent for a moment, before seeming to become less tense. “I… g-guess that does make me feel a bit better” she says softly. 

“Sooo, since I told you about someone in my class, howabout you tell me about someone in yours? Ohoh, how about that scene girl you were talking to? The one who referred to herself in the third person. Ibuki.” I ask energetically. “Her…?” she asks. “Um… well she’s… very energetic, for sure. And can be a um… t-tiny bit scatterbrained at times but… she’s one of the kindest people I’ve met too. And she… she always tries her best to make sure everyone’s included. I’m really h-happy that she’s friends with someone like me” Mikan says, a faint smile on her face as she described the girl. What she said wasn’t really a surprise to me- Ibuki was pretty open about who she was. But, it was nice to see Mikan thinking about something that made her happy. 

“Hey hey, wanna talk about our classmates for the rest of the time we’re here? I don’t know about you, but I have quiiiiiite a few stories from my class that I could tell” I suggest. Mikan nods in response. “T-That sounds nice! I… c-can’t even count how many times one of m-my classmates has had to visit me because something ridiculous happened” she says, sounding a bit relieved to have someone to talk about this with. “Alright- then why don’t you go first. I have to say I’m curious about all the crashing sounds that I hear from your classroom” I say with a smug smile. Mikan tenses up, sighing. “That… w-would be Akane and Nekomaru. We ask them n-not to but… sometimes they spar in the classroom and it… c-causes a lot of damage” she says, looking like the event had scared her quite a bit.

“Wow, that sounds so crazy it could be a lie!” I exclaim. Mikan sighs and shakes her head “P-Part of me wishes it was… I w-wound up having to take care of them after, and t-the entire class had to clean up from the debris” she says with a solemn tone. She… was actually serious about this. Well, that would explain some stuff I head from that room I guess. “Hah, well compared to that I’m worried my stories going to sound boring! Buuut it’s my turn so-”

“Mikan!”

Just then, Ibuki ran into the garden, an urgent look on her face. “Thisisreallyreallyimpor-” “Ibuki- s-slow down-” interrupts Mikan, who was starting to look rather nervous herself. Ibuki stood there out of breath for a few moments, before straightening out, finally ready to give Mikan the proper form of whatever message she had. “Miss Chisa said to come get you right away- there’s an announcement that she needs everybody in the classroom for!” Ibuki says. Mikan’s eyes widen in surprise, as she looks at me for a moment, before looking back at Ibuki. “I’ll b-be there right away- um, sorry!” she calls back to me, before rushing back to her classroom with Ibuki.

I stand in the garden for a few moments, processing what the hell just happened. After thinking about it though, I shrug off the encounter as something personal to that class. That was, until I hear footsteps in the garden once again, and turn around to see Kaede. “Oh, so this is where you were- I didn’t expect you to actually be in this kind of place” she says. I laugh it off- “Aww, really? I love gardens, didn’t you know?” I tease, before walking closer. “So what is it?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

“Well, the teacher said that they had an announcement for the entire class to hear. Some of us said that they were fine with you not being there but- well, the teacher refused to start until everyone was there. We’ve been looking for you for a bit now” she says, sounding a bit exasperated. I raise an eyebrow. “Huh, you know Ibuki just came in here saying the same thing to Mikan- any clue what this is about?” I probe. Kaede shrugs and sighs. “Right now? No clue. They said they didn’t want to say _anything_ about it until everyone was there. So um, we should probably head back” she says. Agreeing with her, the two of us make our way back to the classroom.

I wonder what this could possibly be about…

 

 **Mikan’s POV** :

I rush along with Ibuki towards the classroom, embarrassed that I had to make someone go out of their way to get me for this- maybe I should have just stayed in the nurse's office… but it was too late for that now. “D-Do you know what this is about?” I ask nervously. Ibuki shakes her head, furrowing her eyebrows. “No, Ibuki doesn’t but… Miss Chisa seemed really upset” she explains as we pass by the pool area. When we finally make it back to the classroom, the low buzz of conversation that was there silences, as everyone turns to see us. “Alright… that’s everybody then” says Miss Chisa from the front of the class.

Ibuki and I nervously take our seats, as the buzz of conversation once more arises. This continues for a few moments more, before Miss Chisa quiets us down. “Please, settle down. This is… something you’re all going to want to be able to hear well.” she says, her train of thought trailing off at the end. Everyone sits up in their seats, eager to hear what this mysterious announcement is. Miss Chisa takes a deep breath, before finally starting.

“A Hope’s Peak Academy employee’s body was discovered 2 hours ago” she says finally.

The classroom erupts into chatter, as everyone looks between each other with worried looks on their faces. Before this goes on for too long, Miss Chisa quiets us again. “Please, please. Now, due to the state of the body, we suspect that it was… a murder. And a… very specific one at that” she says, trailing off. “You may have heard of them on the news. “Roses thorn”. They have become quite infamous as of late” she explains. This catches the attention of Sonia, who stands up from her seat. “Roses thorn was able to get to an employee of Hope’s Peak? But- how?!” she asks. The fact that Sonia, who had seemed to have researched this person quite a bit, was surprised at this surprised me. Did she… really not think such a thing was possible? If that’s the case…

“We don’t know yet how it was done. However, what we do know is this: This school’s top priority is the cultivation of talent in its students. As such, your safety is also our top priority. Because we intend to keep these statements true, Hope’s Peak will be increasing security.” she says. A light murmer goes throughout the class as to what this could mean, but is once again quickly silenced once Miss Chisa starts speaking again. “This means that we shall be hiring more guards to help patrol the school during the night. We also urge students to be careful when staying out later, and to be back by the dorms by 7 P.M., so as to be as safe as possible” she says, her face stern. That look… felt so foreign on the face of our normally cheery teacher. It must have felt off to everyone as well, because the room fell into an eerie silence.

Mahiru hesitantly breaks the silence. “If it’s okay to ask… who were they?” she asks. Miss Chisa sighs. “They were a scientist that was helping with one of Hope’s Peak’s personal projects. I can’t say I knew them well but… it has a lot of the staff here worried… But! You… probably don’t need to worry as much. This really is just for safety, so even with these new security measures, try and live your teenage lives to the fullest” she says, a somewhat weak smile on her face. “That should be the end of the announcement. Thank you for your attention”

With that, all of the groups that had formed in the class got together to discuss what we just heard. This meant that Ibuki, Mahiru, Hiyoko and I all turned to each other. “Ibuki’s sure we’ll be fine. I mean- they don’t have any reason to try and kill us, right?” she says, trying to rationalize. Hiyoko scoffs- “Easy enough for you to say! Nobody knows who you are. Someone actually famous like me has more to worry about!” she snaps. “Come on now- I mean whenever we see them on the news, the victim is normally an adult, right? We… probably have nothing to worry about” says Mahiru, trying to diffuse the situation. “Y-Yeah- I mean… people like them… n-normally have a um… type that they go after, right?” I say, though I wasn’t too confident.

“Exactly” Mahiru says, smiling at me. “Oh, so does this mean we can still go to the amusement park this Sunday?” asks Ibuki excitedly. Hiyoko laughs “As if some serial killer could stop us! Although, Mikan’s stench might” she says, snickering. I lower my head just a bit, but we were past the point where Mahiru was able to scold Hiyoko for every little thing, so we all just let it slide. “Oh, speaking of witch- you all  have some cute casual clothes you can wear, right? Because I plan on taking a lot of pictures of your smiles” says Mahiru, smiling as well. Everyone nods, and we all start talking about our plans for this Sunday, the previous topic quickly slipping out of our minds as we did so. Eventually an hour passes, and I realize- “O-Oh no, I’ve been out of the nurse’s office for much too long- I n-need to get going!” I say, quickly standing up. 

Waving goodbye to the class, I quickly rush back to the nurse’s office, taking my keys out of my pocket and unlocking the door, taking down the sign on the door as I do so. Everything was just as I had left it, thank god. I leave the door open behind me, and quickly throw out the note into a nearby trash can. That’s when I notice the trash can by the bed- I had left it there this entire time- that… probably wasn’t good. I take a deep breath as I go over to it and put it back where it belongs. But… I couldn’t help but linger, looking inside.

Up until a few hours ago, those bandages that were in there were on me. I still remember taking them off for the first time since yesterday, cringing at the bruises that were underneath. It… wasn’t as bad as it could have been, that was for sure. But at the same time, the fact that I had to use bandages like this this heavily again… it had a nasty kind of nostalgia. Had I really gotten so used to the way that people treated me here…? I had developed a nasty habit of thinking that this… was normal. That how wonderful this place was was normal. It was more like a dream than anything, and that was something that I had to remember as I talked with the people from outside this school. 

I move those depressing thoughts out of my mind though- I had responsibilities that I had to take care of, and staring at that can would only arouse suspicion. It had at the very least clued Kokichi onto the fact that something was happening…

I thought back to today with Kokichi, and the conversation that I had with him. It felt… really casual in comparison to ones we’ve had in the past- well, aside from when we were talking about his lying. It didn’t feel like it had any weight to it it just… felt inconsequential. I find that… I kind of like talking about inconsequential things with him. I wonder what story of his class he wanted to share with me… I somehow doubt that it was actually less interesting than the one I had told, solely for the reason that I’m not very good at story-telling. Maybe… I could ask him about it when I got back to our dorm?

I couldn’t help but hold that as something to look forward to. Even if he can be scary or worrying at times, I did like talking to Kokichi. It was strange… Like, he would still tease me a bit but… it never felt all that mean. And with someone with a reputation like his, I would have expected him to be on a similar level to Hiyoko- so whenever he talked to me like I was a person… like I was just the same as everyone else… it made me feel kind of special, in a way.

Ohhh what am I thinking? I’m going to make things weird if I keep thinking like this. I need to find something to do…

I wait out the rest of my shift in the office, only taking care of two or three minor injuries for the rest of the day. It was finally time to head back to my dorm…

I wonder if he’s really going to be willing to talk to me like that again...

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you enjoyed this first chapter of bandaged with lies! This is my first fanfic, so I hope that you enjoy. And on the topic of the rather odd crack ship: I know that it's rather strange, but I promise once it gets more development it's really cute. And with that, I bid you adieu! I can't wait to make the next chapter


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